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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. net — for catching
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. ground — crushed
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. suit — in cards
  7. ground — a position
  8. spring — of water
  9. dip — to sink
  10. fine — all right
  11. track — a path
  12. suit — clothes
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a song
  15. ground — the earth
  16. net — in sport
  17. fine — high quality
  18. spring — a coil
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. suit — to fit
  22. net — after costs
  23. march — the month
  24. spring — the season

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