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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: board · fan · squash · game · bat · date · snap · plane

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. snap — to click
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bat — the animal
  7. board — to get on
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. squash — to crush
  10. board — a committee
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. squash — the sport
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. date — the fruit
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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