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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. pop — music
  4. track — a path
  5. pop — soda
  6. bound — certain
  7. wind — moving air
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fine — all right
  13. track — a song
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bound — tied together
  17. content — happy
  18. content — the amount
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bound — obliged
  24. fan — a supporter

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