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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: march · club · current · deal · fan · ball · spring · pit

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. club — for golf
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. spring — the season
  5. pit — a hole
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. march — the month
  8. spring — a coil
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. current — electric
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. current — happening now
  16. club — a group
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. march — music
  20. ball — a great time
  21. club — for dancing
  22. deal — to handle
  23. march — the month
  24. spring — of water

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