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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: fan · craft · last · cue · fine · calf · straw · kid

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fine — high quality
  3. kid — to tease
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cue — a signal
  6. craft — a skill
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. craft — boats
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. last — final
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fine — all right
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. cue — a hint
  24. kid — child

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