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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rash · mate · rest · track · mouse · staff · bowl

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. rash — a series
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rest — a break
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mate — a partner
  10. track — to keep track
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. staff — a stick
  17. track — a song
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. staff — employees
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. track — a path
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bowl — a football 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