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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: shower · snap · deal · fan · roll · ball · coach · stick

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. snap — to click
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. roll — a cake
  11. deal — to handle
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. shower — rain
  15. ball — a great time
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. roll — a list
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. shower — to wash

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