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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cue — a hint
  6. fine — high quality
  7. race — humankind
  8. mate — to breed
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pit — in a race
  13. race — a contest
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. kid — child
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mate — a partner
  19. kid — to tease
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. cue — for pool
  22. mate — a friend
  23. cue — a signal
  24. fine — all right

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