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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 · kick · lean · bay · ground · pop · toast · cue

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. toast — bread
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. pop — music
  10. ground — a position
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. cue — a hint
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. ground — the earth
  15. cue — for pool
  16. lean — thin
  17. ground — crushed
  18. kick — in football
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. kick — with a leg

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