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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · fine · racket · firm · object · fork

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — a company
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fine — high quality
  6. firm — steady
  7. fine — all right
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — an aim
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. object — a thing
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wind — to turn a key

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