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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: vault · club · fan · track · season · foot · suit · pitch

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. track — a song
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. suit — in cards
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. suit — to fit
  11. club — a group
  12. track — to keep track
  13. season — of the year
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. foot — a measure
  16. club — for dancing
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. vault — a safe
  19. suit — clothes
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pitch — completely
  23. track — a path
  24. club — for golf

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