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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. foot — a measure
  3. saw — the tool
  4. degree — an amount
  5. hand — help
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spell — a short time
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — from a university
  14. spell — magic
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. spell — letters
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. fine — high quality
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. hand — in cards
  24. snap — to click

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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