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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: march · fan · leaves · roll · bowl · season · sharp · snap

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. march — the month
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. march — the month
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. roll — a list
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a cake
  16. season — of the year
  17. march — music
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. season — in sport
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. sharp — clever
  24. snap — to click

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