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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.

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: hand · ground · pit · saw · fan · racket · squash · wind

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. saw — the tool
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. ground — the earth
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wind — moving air
  8. squash — to crush
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. ground — crushed
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wind — moving air
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ground — a position
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. squash — the sport
  21. pit — a hole
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. hand — help

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