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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: fork · club · deal · wound · fine · wave · dip · court

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. club — for dancing
  7. court — of law
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. club — a group
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. court — of a king
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. court — for sport
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. dip — to sink
  23. wound — an injury
  24. club — for golf

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