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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 · bat · race · leaves · row · present · roll · pitch

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. race — a contest
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — completely
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. bat — the animal
  10. race — humankind
  11. row — a line
  12. roll — a list
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. present — the time now
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. present — there
  20. roll — a cake
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. race — the arms race
  23. present — a gift
  24. leaves — lets stay

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