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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
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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: dip · club · court · date · clip · hide · fan · track

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. track — a path
  4. club — for dancing
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. club — for golf
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. track — to keep track
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. track — a song
  14. dip — to sink
  15. clip — for paper
  16. court — of a king
  17. club — a group
  18. clip — to cut
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. clip — a video
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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