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

Word bank: fan · wound · bay · arm · firm · racket · fork · march

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. firm — decided
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. march — the month
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. firm — a company
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. march — music
  17. fork — in a road
  18. firm — steady
  19. wound — an injury
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. march — the month
  24. racket — for tennis

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