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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
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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: spell · game · race · fan · snap · squash · leaves · coach

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. spell — a short time
  11. race — the arms race
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. race — humankind
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. race — a contest
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to click

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