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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — to tease
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to sink
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. ground — the earth
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. ground — a position
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. fine — all right
  16. ground — crushed
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. stand — to bear
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. pass — a permit

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