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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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 · file · fork · rush · game · coach · perch · snap

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. file — a tool
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. game — a match
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. file — a line of people
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. snap — to click
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. game — wild animals
  18. file — a document
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fork — in a road
  22. rush — hurry
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. perch — the fish

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