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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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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 · charge · straw · fan · court · club · fork · deal

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. club — for dancing
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. court — of a king
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. charge — electricity
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. fork — in a road
  13. court — of law
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. saw — the tool
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. court — for sport
  18. club — for golf
  19. deal — to handle
  20. charge — in control
  21. club — a group
  22. charge — a price
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. straw — dry grass

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