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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: file · cue · mate · fan · lie · rush · hand · snap

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. file — a line of people
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. snap — to click
  9. file — a document
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. hand — help
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. cue — a signal
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. mate — to breed
  17. file — a tool
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. cue — for pool
  20. lie — to recline
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hand — in cards
  24. cue — a hint

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