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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: fan · pop · straw · game · cabinet · rule · net · lash

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pop — soda
  7. rule — a law
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. net — after costs
  10. rule — government
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. net — in sport
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. net — for catching
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. game — a match
  24. rule — to rule out

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