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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: can · pitcher · cap · cold · coach · roll · fan · racket

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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. pitcher — a jug
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cap — of ice
  6. can — a tin
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. roll — a list
  9. cap — a lid
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. can — to be able to
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cap — a hat
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. can — a tin
  21. roll — a cake
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pitcher — a jug

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