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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: board · bank · bat · fine · hand · fan · content · club

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. hand — help
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bank — for money
  6. fine — all right
  7. club — for golf
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bat — the animal
  10. club — a group
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bank — for money
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — to get on
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bank — of a river
  17. content — the amount
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. content — happy
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. fine — high quality
  24. content — videos and posts

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