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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. cold — an illness
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. foot — a measure
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. cold — not warm
  10. fine — all right
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. dip — to sink
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. kick — in football
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. 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