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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: march · snap · pop · hand · fine · bear · fan · foot

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. march — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. march — the month
  6. pop — soda
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fine — all right
  10. foot — a measure
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. march — the month
  13. bear — the animal
  14. snap — to click
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pop — music

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