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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: firm · fork · hand · cell · fine · mine · snap · wake

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. hand — in cards
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. fork — in a road
  5. firm — decided
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. hand — help
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fine — high quality
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wake — a trail
  14. firm — a company
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. cell — a phone
  22. firm — steady
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — all right

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