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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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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: fan · bay · kick · wind · hand · fine · shower · fork

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  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. shower — to wash
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. kick — in football
  4. shower — rain
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. hand — in cards
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. wind — moving air
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. fine — all right
  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