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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bay · march · game · cap · fan · rash · coach · stand

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. cap — a hat
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. march — the month
  17. rash — hasty
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. stand — to bear
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. game — a kind of play

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