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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: pitcher · fine · racket · fan · vault · cue · drill · season

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. drill — a practice
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. drill — army training
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. cue — a hint
  11. season — in sport
  12. cue — for pool
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. vault — a safe
  17. fine — high quality
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. cue — a signal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. season — of the year
  24. racket — for tennis

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