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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.

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: fan · racket · fine · track · foot · pitcher · present · calf

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fine — all right
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. track — a song
  9. present — there
  10. track — to keep track
  11. fine — high quality
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — the time now
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. foot — a measure
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. track — a path
  24. calf — a young animal

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