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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.

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: track · fan · can · last · object · prune · pit · game

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. track — a path
  5. pit — a hole
  6. object — an aim
  7. can — a tin
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. track — to keep track
  11. last — finally
  12. game — wild animals
  13. last — final
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. can — to be able to
  16. prune — to trim
  17. last — to go on
  18. game — a match
  19. prune — to trim
  20. object — a thing
  21. can — a tin
  22. pit — in a race
  23. object — to protest
  24. track — a song

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