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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: net · staff · fan · deal · cold · rash · toast · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. net — in sport
  4. cold — an illness
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. deal — to handle
  13. ball — a dance
  14. staff — employees
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. net — for catching
  17. rash — hasty
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. staff — employees
  20. net — after costs
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. toast — bread
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cold — not warm

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