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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: mug · racket · wound · date · roll · foot · saw · fan

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mug — a face
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. roll — a list
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mug — a cup
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. mug — to rob
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. saw — the tool
  17. foot — a measure
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. wound — an injury
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. roll — a cake
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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