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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 · pitcher · hand · clip · lie · ball · present · deal

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. present — the time now
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. lie — to recline
  6. present — there
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. deal — to handle
  9. present — a gift
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hand — help
  18. clip — a video
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — to cut

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