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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: present · lean · straw · last · track · jam · fan · game

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. track — a path
  5. lean — thin
  6. last — finally
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. game — wild animals
  9. present — the time now
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. present — there
  13. track — to keep track
  14. last — final
  15. game — a match
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. last — to go on
  22. present — a gift
  23. lean — to bend
  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