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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: swing · roll · deal · stick · shower · pop · fan · hand

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pop — soda
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. swing — music
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. pop — music
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. swing — in golf
  12. deal — to handle
  13. pop — to visit
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. swing — to play on
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. roll — a list
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. fan — a supporter

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