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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 · present · foot · cue · race · content · fall · spell

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — magic
  4. foot — a measure
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. content — happy
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cue — for pool
  10. race — a contest
  11. fall — the season
  12. cue — a signal
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. cue — a hint
  15. fall — to drop
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. present — there
  19. content — the amount
  20. fall — to drop
  21. spell — a short time
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — the time now
  24. race — humankind

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