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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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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. last — finally
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. last — final
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. hand — help
  10. object — a thing
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wind — moving air
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. last — to go on
  19. object — an aim
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. object — to protest
  23. fan — a supporter
  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