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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fan · fall · squash · rest · bat · chip · pitcher · key

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fall — to drop
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chip — to eat
  6. squash — the sport
  7. rest — what's left
  8. key — for a lock
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. key — in music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. key — the most important part
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chip — for betting
  17. rest — a break
  18. bat — the animal
  19. fall — the season
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. fan — a supporter

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