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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. game — a match
  4. last — finally
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. suit — in cards
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. suit — clothes
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. hand — in cards
  15. last — to go on
  16. suit — to fit
  17. toast — bread
  18. last — final
  19. hand — help
  20. bat — the animal
  21. game — wild animals
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. toast — the most admired

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