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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 116 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  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. fine — all right
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. mine — for digging
  4. face — to point toward
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. march — the month
  7. face — part of the head
  8. dip — to sink
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. deal — to handle
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — a permit
  15. mate — to breed
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. fine — high quality
  20. mate — a friend
  21. face — to confront
  22. mate — a partner
  23. dip — a sauce
  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