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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: cabinet · net · content · deal · fan · leaves · fork · hand

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. net — in sport
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. hand — help
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. net — after costs
  13. fork — in a road
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. content — happy
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. content — the amount
  23. net — for catching
  24. leaves — of a tree

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