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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: cap · club · cell · wind · fan · fork · bound · sharp

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. club — a group
  3. bound — tied together
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bound — obliged
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — a lid
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. cell — in biology
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bound — certain
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — for dancing
  23. cap — of ice
  24. fork — to eat with

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