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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 120 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: deal · wound · stand · cabinet · fan · snap · march · court

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. snap — to click
  3. court — for sport
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. march — the month
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. march — the month
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. march — music
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stand — to bear
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. court — of law
  20. deal — to handle
  21. court — of a king
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. stand — on your feet

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