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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: cold · rush · bat · temple · arm · fine · fan · plane

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — a tool
  4. fine — high quality
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fine — all right
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cold — not warm
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bat — the animal
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rush — hurry
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — in an idiom

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