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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. present — the time now
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. net — in sport
  6. march — the month
  7. present — a gift
  8. swing — to play on
  9. present — there
  10. lean — to bend
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. march — the month
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — the tool
  16. swing — music
  17. drill — a practice
  18. net — after costs
  19. swing — in golf
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. march — music
  22. net — for catching
  23. pass — a permit
  24. lean — thin

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