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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 120 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: plane · fan · mate · game · saw · snap

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. game — wild animals
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. plane — a tool
  11. mate — a friend
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. snap — to click

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