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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. date — the fruit
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. lie — to recline
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. mark — a trace

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