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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: dip · fan · bay · fork · hand · kick · pop · band

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. band — a music group
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pop — music
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. hand — help
  9. pop — to visit
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. dip — to sink
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. band — a ring
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pop — soda
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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