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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 124 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 · fan · firm · sharp · game · cabinet · land · straw

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. sharp — clever
  3. land — a country
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. firm — steady
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. firm — a company
  11. land — to come down
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. saw — the tool
  15. game — a match
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. land — ground
  18. firm — decided
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. game — wild animals
  22. saw — the tool
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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