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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cap · present · last · fine · content · game · wind

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cap — of ice
  3. present — a gift
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. cap — a lid
  7. last — to go on
  8. wind — moving air
  9. present — the time now
  10. wind — moving air
  11. last — finally
  12. content — happy
  13. fine — high quality
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. fine — all right
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. cap — a hat
  21. last — final
  22. present — there
  23. game — wild animals
  24. saw — the tool

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