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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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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: saw · court · present · fan · pass · fine · spring · last

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. spring — the season
  5. present — there
  6. spring — of water
  7. court — of law
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. last — finally
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fine — high quality
  12. last — final
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. court — of a king
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. court — for sport
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pass — a permit
  19. saw — the tool
  20. present — the time now
  21. last — to go on
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. present — a gift

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