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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 · land · rash · kick · fall · cue · bank · pitcher

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. cue — for pool
  3. rash — hasty
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fall — to drop
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bank — of a river
  9. cue — a hint
  10. fall — the season
  11. land — ground
  12. land — to come down
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rash — a series
  15. land — a country
  16. cue — a signal
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. fan — a supporter

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