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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. fine — high quality
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. rule — government
  19. kick — in football
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. rule — a law
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. file — a line of people
  24. capital — money

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