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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: fine · toast · mark · pass · hand · rush · fan · cold

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. toast — bread
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. cold — not warm
  7. mark — a trace
  8. fine — high quality
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. cold — an illness
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fine — all right
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. pass — a permit
  24. hand — help

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