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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: cap · fall · stand · fan · mug · chest · pitch · mate

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. cap — of ice
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pitch — completely
  13. fall — the season
  14. cap — a hat
  15. mug — a cup
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mate — to breed
  18. cap — a lid
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mug — a face
  21. stand — to bear
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. chest — a box

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