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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. kid — to tease
  5. fine — all right
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. can — a tin
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. stand — to bear
  11. cue — for pool
  12. rash — a series
  13. can — a tin
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. kid — child
  21. bat — the animal
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. mine — for digging
  24. fine — high quality

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