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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 116 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: bowl · plane · clip · last · deal · can · game · fan

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. plane — a tool
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. game — a match
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. clip — to cut
  15. last — to go on
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. clip — for paper
  18. game — wild animals
  19. last — finally
  20. clip — a video
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. can — a tin
  24. last — final

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