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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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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: suit · fan · fork · wind · deal · game · court · bat

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. court — of a king
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. court — of law
  9. wind — moving air
  10. game — a match
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bat — the animal
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fork — in a road
  17. deal — to handle
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. court — for sport
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. suit — in cards
  23. suit — to fit
  24. deal — a big deal

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