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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — high quality
  3. plane — a tool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spring — the season
  6. rash — hasty
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. capital — a city
  9. tube — a container
  10. spring — a coil
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. capital — money
  13. rash — a series
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. tube — the underground
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. can — a tin
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. spring — of water
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. fine — all right
  24. wind — moving air

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