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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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. club — for golf
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. club — for dancing
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. drill — a practice
  17. club — a group
  18. pit — in a race
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  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