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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.

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 · stem · toast · rush · pitch · craft · degree · file

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pitch — completely
  7. stem — to come from
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. file — a line of people
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. file — a tool
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. toast — bread
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. file — a document
  18. degree — an amount
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. degree — from a university
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a skill

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