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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: racket · chip · cap · fall · rest · spring · ball · fan

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cap — a lid
  6. chip — for betting
  7. spring — a coil
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. rest — what's left
  10. spring — of water
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chip — to eat
  13. ball — a great time
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. cap — a hat
  16. fall — the season
  17. spring — the season
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cap — of ice
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. ball — a dance

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