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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bat — the animal
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bulb — for light
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. mine — an explosive

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