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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
468
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: game · row · fan · perch · fall · foot · stand · roll

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. roll — a cake
  3. fall — the season
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. roll — a list
  7. stand — to bear
  8. row — a line
  9. foot — a measure
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. row — to paddle
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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