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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 · cap · straw · season · track · stand · wound · pitch

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. cap — a lid
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stand — to bear
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. track — a path
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. track — a song
  17. pitch — completely
  18. season — in sport
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. cap — of ice
  22. season — of the year
  23. track — to keep track
  24. cap — a hat

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