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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
468
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 · last · bowl · fine · chip · date · racket · fall

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fall — the season
  5. last — to go on
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. date — the fruit
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. fine — all right
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. chip — to eat
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. chip — for betting
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. racket — for tennis

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