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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. season — of the year
  4. cue — for pool
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bark — to shout
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. season — in sport
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. cue — a hint
  17. pass — a permit
  18. cue — a signal
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. shower — to wash
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. shower — rain
  24. pass — to succeed

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