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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: fine · pitch · cell · branch · hand · fan · ball · dip

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hand — help
  3. fine — all right
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ball — a dance
  8. hand — in cards
  9. branch — a division
  10. pitch — completely
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. cell — in biology
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. fine — high quality
  16. ball — a great time
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. cell — a phone
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — to sink
  24. cell — in a prison

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