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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: plane · coach · game · rule · fan · craft · field · fall

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. field — for sport
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. game — a match
  5. rule — a law
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rule — government
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — a subject
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. game — wild animals
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. craft — a skill
  16. fall — the season
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. fall — to drop
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. craft — boats
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. fall — to drop
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. plane — a tool

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