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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mug — a face
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. net — for catching
  7. mug — a cup
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rash — hasty
  12. ball — a great time
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rule — government
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rule — a law
  18. mug — to rob
  19. fall — the season
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rash — a series
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — in sport

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