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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. season — in sport
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. hand — in cards
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. suit — to fit
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. court — for sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. file — a document
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. file — a line of people
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. season — of the year
  17. hand — help
  18. court — of law
  19. file — a tool
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. suit — in cards
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. court — of a king

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