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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. staff — employees
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. staff — a stick
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. net — for catching
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. net — after costs
  14. dip — to sink
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. staff — employees
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. net — in sport
  23. perch — the fish
  24. lie — an untruth

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