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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 · mate · toast · leaves · spell · bat · track · deal

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. toast — bread
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. spell — magic
  7. track — a song
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. track — to keep track
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. track — a path
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. spell — a short time
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. deal — to handle
  18. mate — a partner
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. spell — letters
  24. bat — the animal

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