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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. face — part of the head
  5. march — music
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — the underground
  8. track — a path
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. face — to confront
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. dip — to sink
  14. march — the month
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. march — the month
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. face — to point toward
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. track — a song
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. track — to keep track
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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