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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 116 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: fan · wind · pop · pitcher · last · cue · rock · court

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pop — soda
  4. court — for sport
  5. pop — music
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — music
  11. cue — for pool
  12. last — finally
  13. rock — a stone
  14. cue — a signal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — of law
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cue — a hint

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