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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: object · court · chair · deal · saw · drill · cold · fan

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — of law
  5. cold — not warm
  6. drill — a practice
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chair — a leader
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. object — to protest
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. drill — army training
  15. saw — the tool
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. drill — the tool
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — an aim
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. court — for sport
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. cold — an illness

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