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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. court — of a king
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. row — to paddle
  7. content — the amount
  8. court — of law
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. content — happy
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. court — for sport
  15. fine — all right
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. row — a line
  24. march — the month

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