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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. game — wild animals
  5. band — a ring
  6. game — a match
  7. tube — a container
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. sharp — clever
  10. tube — the underground
  11. fine — high quality
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. band — a music group
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. pitch — completely
  24. fine — a penalty

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