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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: pit · plane · wake · net · pop · snap · game · fan

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. pop — soda
  8. net — after costs
  9. plane — a tool
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. snap — to click
  15. pit — a hole
  16. net — in sport
  17. pit — in a race
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. net — for catching
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. fan — a supporter

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