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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.

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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: saw · fan · spell · racket · lie · rest · ground · date

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. spell — magic
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ground — crushed
  8. lie — to recline
  9. saw — the tool
  10. spell — letters
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spell — a short time
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. ground — the earth
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rest — a break
  21. saw — the tool
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. ground — a position

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