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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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. nail — for a hammer
  4. net — for catching
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. march — the month
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. net — after costs
  10. squash — to crush
  11. rash — a series
  12. fall — to drop
  13. march — music
  14. fall — the season
  15. fine — high quality
  16. net — in sport
  17. rash — hasty
  18. spring — a coil
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fall — to drop
  21. spring — the season
  22. march — the month
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. spring — of water

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