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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 116 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: fall · hide · bay · fan · fork · bowl · season · cell

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. season — of the year
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fork — in a road
  6. season — in sport
  7. cell — a phone
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. fall — the season
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cell — in biology
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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