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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: ball · fork · fan · arm · clip · bay · last · deal

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. last — final
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. fork — in a road
  10. clip — for paper
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. last — to go on
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. clip — a video
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. last — finally
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. arm — part of the body

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