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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 120 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. snap — to click
  6. fine — high quality
  7. rash — hasty
  8. present — the time now
  9. rash — a series
  10. charge — electricity
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — there
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. row — a line
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. row — to paddle
  18. charge — in control
  19. cap — a lid
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. charge — a price
  24. cap — a hat

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