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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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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: bay · tear · fan · chip · fall · fork · last · roll

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. roll — a cake
  3. tear — from crying
  4. roll — a list
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fall — to drop
  7. last — to go on
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. fall — the season
  17. last — finally
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. last — final
  24. fork — a garden tool

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