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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 120 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: club · foot · bay · object · racket · sharp · fan · bat

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. object — to protest
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. object — a thing
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. object — an aim
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bat — the animal
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — a group
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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