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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · track · fan · suit · racket · spell

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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. fan — to cool the air
  4. cold — not warm
  5. suit — in cards
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. suit — to fit
  10. track — a path
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. track — a song
  14. suit — clothes
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. track — to keep track
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cold — an illness

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