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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 120 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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pit — a hole
  3. suit — in cards
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. suit — to fit
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. season — in sport
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. suit — clothes
  17. pit — in a race
  18. band — a ring
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. fan — to cool the air

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