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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 120 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. row — a line
  10. cue — a signal
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. season — of the year
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. season — in sport
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pitch — completely
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. rest — a break
  21. fork — in a road
  22. cue — a hint
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bat — the animal

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