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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.

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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: game · land · band · kid · pop · fan · calf · suit

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. land — ground
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. land — to come down
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. pop — soda
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. suit — clothes
  10. pop — to visit
  11. land — a country
  12. game — a match
  13. band — a ring
  14. kid — child
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pop — music
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. kid — to tease
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. suit — to fit
  22. game — wild animals
  23. suit — in cards
  24. fan — to cool the air

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