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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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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. cue — a hint
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bank — for money
  9. stand — to bear
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bank — of a river
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bank — for money
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. dip — to sink
  22. cue — for pool
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. stand — for spectators

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