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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: racket · sharp · can · cold · fan · stand · foot · band

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. band — a ring
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. can — a tin
  6. cold — an illness
  7. band — a music group
  8. can — a tin
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. cold — not warm
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. can — to be able to
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. foot — a measure
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. stand — to bear
  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