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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. fine — high quality
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. chair — a leader
  6. track — to keep track
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. march — the month
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fine — all right
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. dip — to sink

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