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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: hand · row · ground · deal · fan · perch · pit · jam

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — the earth
  4. hand — help
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — a hole
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. row — a line
  10. ground — crushed
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. pit — in a race
  14. deal — to handle
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. row — to paddle
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. perch — the fish
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. deal — an agreement

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