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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bass — low music
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. deal — to handle
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. kid — child
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — in biology
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bass — the fish
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. fine — a penalty

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