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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. field — a subject
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. field — for sport
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — music
  11. board — a committee
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a hole
  16. board — to get on
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. cold — an illness
  19. field — farmland
  20. cold — not warm
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. swing — to play on
  24. fan — a supporter

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