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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: rash · saw · face · game · deal · track · content · fan

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. rash — a series
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. face — to point toward
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. rash — hasty
  9. saw — the tool
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. saw — the tool
  12. game — a match
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. track — a path
  15. content — happy
  16. content — the amount
  17. game — wild animals
  18. face — part of the head
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. track — a song
  22. deal — to handle
  23. track — to keep track
  24. face — to confront

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