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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitch · fan · fine · file · root · mug · bear · cold

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mug — a cup
  3. root — of a plant
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. fine — high quality
  7. file — a tool
  8. fine — all right
  9. mug — to rob
  10. root — of a word
  11. pitch — completely
  12. root — the cause
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a line of people
  22. mug — a face
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bear — the animal

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