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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fine — high quality
  4. sharp — clever
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. root — of a plant
  8. cold — not warm
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bass — the fish
  11. mug — a cup
  12. chest — of your body
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cold — an illness
  18. chest — a box
  19. mug — a face
  20. root — of a word
  21. fine — all right
  22. root — the cause
  23. bass — low music
  24. mug — to rob

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