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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: game · spell · bat · track · fan · current · wound · mug

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. track — a song
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. current — of water
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bat — the animal
  8. game — a match
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. mug — a face
  12. spell — magic
  13. wound — an injury
  14. game — wild animals
  15. track — a path
  16. spell — a short time
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. mug — to rob
  19. spell — letters
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wound — an injury
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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