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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. snap — to click
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. pop — music
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. swing — music
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. pop — to visit
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — to get on
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. field — farmland

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com