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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.

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: bass · rash · dip · fan · bat · plane · snap · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. snap — to click
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. rash — a series
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. plane — a tool
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bass — low music
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bat — the animal
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. plane — in geometry

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