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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: snap · fan · mark · pitcher · swing · roll · leaves · march

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. march — the month
  3. roll — a cake
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. snap — to click
  6. swing — to play on
  7. march — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. mark — a grade
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. mark — a trace
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. swing — music
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. march — the month
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. roll — a list

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