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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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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: fine · sharp · fall · racket · wound · mouse · straw · fork

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fine — all right
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fork — in a road
  16. wound — an injury
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. sharp — clever
  19. fall — to drop
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. fall — the season
  24. wound — an injury

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