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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. rock — music
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pitch — completely
  6. file — a line of people
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. file — a tool
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. rock — a stone
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. kick — in football
  16. file — a document
  17. present — a gift
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. present — there
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. present — the time now
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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