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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: game · toast · pitcher · last · face · swing · bound · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. last — finally
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. face — part of the head
  5. toast — bread
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — in golf
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. last — final
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. face — to confront
  14. last — to go on
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bound — obliged
  17. swing — to play on
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bound — certain
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. face — to point toward
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. bound — tied together

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