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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. hand — in cards
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. hand — help
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fall — to drop
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. track — to keep track
  11. lean — to bend
  12. track — a path
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. fall — the season
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. lean — thin
  22. track — a song
  23. fall — to drop
  24. lean — to rest against

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