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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: racket · game · cue · deal · fan · mug · wind · rest

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. game — a match
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a cup
  6. rest — a break
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — a signal
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. cue — for pool
  15. rest — what's left
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. deal — to handle
  18. mug — a face
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. wind — moving air
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. fan — to cool the air

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