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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: fan · fork · fine · current · ball · bay · cold · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. current — electric
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. current — happening now
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. rash — a series
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. current — of water
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. cold — not warm
  24. fork — in a road

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