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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. hand — in cards
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. fine — all right
  7. roll — a cake
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. shower — to wash
  11. date — the fruit
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. roll — a list
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. rush — hurry
  17. press — to push
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. march — the month
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. fine — high quality
  24. shower — rain

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