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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. fine — high quality
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bank — of a river
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bank — for money
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mine — for digging
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bank — for money
  20. fine — all right
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. snap — to click
  24. leaves — of a tree

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