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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: game · lie · fall · fork · fan · ground · craft · snap

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. craft — a skill
  4. ground — the earth
  5. game — wild animals
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. fall — to drop
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. fork — in a road
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. ground — crushed
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. lie — to recline
  17. game — a match
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. craft — boats
  20. snap — to click
  21. fall — the season
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. fall — to drop

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