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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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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: bowl · hide · row · sharp · court · fork · fan · season

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. court — for sport
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. season — of the year
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. row — a line
  8. fork — in a road
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. season — in sport
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. sharp — clever
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. court — of a king
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. court — of law
  24. bowl — a dish

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