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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: date · jam · game · cabinet · wind · fan · coach · spell

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. spell — a short time
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. spell — letters
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wind — moving air
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. game — a match
  18. date — the fruit
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. game — wild animals
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spell — magic
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cabinet — ministers

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