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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: present · race · last · ball · net · foot · season · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. present — the time now
  8. last — finally
  9. present — there
  10. foot — a measure
  11. ball — a dance
  12. last — to go on
  13. race — humankind
  14. ball — a great time
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. net — for catching
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. race — a contest
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — in sport
  22. race — the arms race
  23. present — a gift
  24. last — final

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