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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.

Words on the sheet
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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pit — in a race
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fine — high quality
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. spell — magic
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pit — a hole
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. spell — letters
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cold — an illness
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fine — all right
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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