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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bear — the animal
  4. scale — in music
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bear — the animal
  7. scale — size or range
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bat — the animal
  13. game — a match
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. rock — music
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. rock — a stone
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. dip — a sauce

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