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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. stock — shares
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — all right
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. ground — a position
  11. dip — to sink
  12. snap — to click
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. band — a music group
  16. fine — high quality
  17. mark — a grade
  18. band — a ring
  19. stock — goods
  20. ground — the earth
  21. date — the fruit
  22. mark — a trace
  23. ground — crushed
  24. dip — to dunk

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