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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 116 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: fan · last · suit · ball · snap · file

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. suit — in cards
  3. file — a line of people
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. last — final
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. file — a tool
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. suit — to fit
  10. file — a document
  11. ball — a great time
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. suit — clothes
  16. last — finally
  17. ball — a dance
  18. last — to go on

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