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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: rash · leaves · lean · rush · fan · track · game · bat

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. track — a song
  3. rush — hurry
  4. track — a path
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rash — hasty
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. game — a match
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. lean — to bend
  15. rash — a series
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bat — the animal
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. track — to keep track
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. lean — to rest against

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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