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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: fan · bat · wake · spell · dip · coach · squash · suit

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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. bat — for baseball
  3. spell — letters
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. suit — in cards
  11. spell — a short time
  12. squash — the sport
  13. wake — a trail
  14. spell — magic
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. suit — clothes
  17. squash — to crush
  18. dip — to sink
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. suit — to fit
  23. bat — the animal
  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