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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
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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: swing · pitch · current · fan · fall · snap · hand · mine

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. current — electric
  3. mine — for digging
  4. current — of water
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. current — happening now
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. swing — music
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. snap — to click
  15. pitch — completely
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. fall — the season
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. hand — help
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. fall — to drop
  22. swing — to play on
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. fan — a supporter

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