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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fine — high quality
  7. land — to come down
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. field — for sport
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bass — the fish
  17. spring — of water
  18. land — a country
  19. spring — a coil
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. land — ground
  24. spring — the season

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