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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: foot · snap · fork · cabinet · cell · fine · fan · mark

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. foot — a measure
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mark — a grade
  6. cell — in biology
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. mark — a trace
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fine — all right
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. snap — to click
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — in a road
  19. cell — a phone
  20. fine — high quality
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. fan — to cool the air

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