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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
468
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: wind · fan · shower · net · ball · pit · swing · present

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. net — in sport
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. present — there
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. net — after costs
  11. shower — to wash
  12. net — for catching
  13. wind — moving air
  14. swing — in golf
  15. present — the time now
  16. wind — moving air
  17. ball — a dance
  18. swing — to play on
  19. present — a gift
  20. swing — music
  21. ball — a great time
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pit — a hole

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