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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: fan · rule · wound · pitch · present · cap · club · bore

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cap — a lid
  5. rule — government
  6. bore — to drill
  7. rule — a law
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. cap — of ice
  11. present — there
  12. pitch — completely
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. present — the time now
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bore — to tire
  17. club — for golf
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. present — a gift
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. club — a group
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. club — for dancing

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