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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 120 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: fall · foot · game · field · dip · fan · deal · arm

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. field — for sport
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. field — farmland
  9. game — a match
  10. dip — to sink
  11. foot — a measure
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. field — a subject
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fall — to drop
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. deal — to handle

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