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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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. saw — the tool
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. last — finally
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. row — to paddle
  9. content — happy
  10. row — a line
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. hand — help
  14. last — to go on
  15. hand — in cards
  16. dip — to sink
  17. fine — all right
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. last — final
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. saw — the tool
  22. content — the amount
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. toast — bread

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