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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. swing — to play on
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. club — a group
  5. land — a country
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. swing — music
  11. club — for golf
  12. swing — in golf
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. stem — to come from
  17. club — for dancing
  18. land — ground
  19. board — a committee
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. land — to come down
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. racket — for tennis

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