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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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Word bank
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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. fine — all right
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fine — high quality
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mine — for digging
  19. dip — to sink
  20. date — the fruit
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wound — an injury
  23. lie — to recline
  24. wound — an injury

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