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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.

Make a worksheet

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: degree · straw · cap · suit · court · club · fan · fine

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cap — a hat
  3. degree — an amount
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. court — for sport
  6. suit — to fit
  7. cap — a lid
  8. degree — from a university
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. club — for dancing
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. court — of law
  15. cap — of ice
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. suit — in cards
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. court — of a king
  20. suit — clothes
  21. club — a group
  22. fine — high quality
  23. club — for golf
  24. degree — temperature

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