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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. fine — all right
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. firm — steady
  5. snap — to click
  6. charge — a price
  7. court — for sport
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. foot — a measure
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. charge — electricity
  16. wound — an injury
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. firm — a company
  19. court — of law
  20. firm — decided
  21. charge — in control
  22. court — of a king
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fine — high quality

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