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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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. wake — before a funeral
  4. bank — for money
  5. fine — high quality
  6. swing — in golf
  7. spell — letters
  8. wake — a trail
  9. track — a path
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bank — of a river
  12. fall — the season
  13. content — the amount
  14. track — to keep track
  15. spell — magic
  16. track — a song
  17. bank — for money
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. fall — to drop
  24. content — happy

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