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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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Word bank
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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pass — a permit
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cell — in biology
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. snap — to click
  11. cell — a phone
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. swing — in golf
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fork — in a road
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. swing — music
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mouse — for a computer

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