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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 116 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: fan · fork · snap · firm · calf · hand · pop · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. game — a match
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. fork — in a road
  7. firm — steady
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pop — to visit
  10. snap — to click
  11. pop — soda
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. firm — decided
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. firm — a company
  17. game — wild animals
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pop — music
  22. hand — in cards
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. hand — help

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