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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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. deal — a big deal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. spring — of water
  9. fine — all right
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bass — the fish
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bass — low music
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. spring — the season
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. clip — a video
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. clip — to cut
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — a law
  23. deal — an agreement
  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