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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. net — after costs
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. fine — high quality
  5. shower — to wash
  6. can — a tin
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. race — humankind
  10. snap — to click
  11. net — for catching
  12. shower — rain
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. net — in sport
  17. fine — all right
  18. can — to be able to
  19. dip — to sink
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. race — the arms race
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. can — a tin
  24. race — a contest

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