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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. season — in sport
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. firm — decided
  11. saw — the tool
  12. firm — steady
  13. pitch — completely
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. fine — high quality
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. firm — a company
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. fine — all right
  22. wound — an injury
  23. season — of the year
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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