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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. dip — to sink
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. march — the month
  6. pitch — completely
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — in cards
  10. roll — a list
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. roll — a cake
  17. pound — a weight
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. cell — in biology

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