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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 116 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pound — a weight
  7. wind — moving air
  8. lie — to recline
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. scale — in music
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. tube — the underground
  18. lie — an untruth

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