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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cap — of ice
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. swing — in golf
  6. land — a country
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cap — a lid
  9. swing — music
  10. pitch — completely
  11. fine — high quality
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. kid — to tease
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. land — ground
  16. kid — child
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. land — to come down
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cap — a hat
  23. swing — to play on
  24. fine — all right

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