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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. lean — thin
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fine — all right
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. dip — to sink
  10. fine — high quality
  11. net — for catching
  12. lean — to bend
  13. net — after costs
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. net — in sport
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. mine — for digging

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