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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: bear · ball · roll · fall · sharp · rest · pitcher · fan

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. roll — a list
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. rest — a break
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ball — a dance
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bear — the animal
  15. sharp — clever
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. ball — a great time
  20. fall — the season
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. pitcher — a jug

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