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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chair — a leader
  6. swing — music
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chip — for betting
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fall — the season
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. chip — to eat
  14. cue — a signal
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. swing — to play on
  17. season — of the year
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cue — a hint
  20. swing — in golf
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. cue — for pool
  24. fall — to drop

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