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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pitch — completely
  8. content — the amount
  9. bass — the fish
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bass — low music
  12. spell — a short time
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — magic
  16. bound — certain
  17. date — the fruit
  18. fine — high quality
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. fine — all right
  21. content — happy
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bass — the instrument

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