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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bass — low music
  5. fall — the season
  6. firm — steady
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. cell — a phone
  10. firm — a company
  11. cell — in biology
  12. tube — a container
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fork — in a road
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. tube — the underground
  18. firm — decided
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fine — all right
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a line of people

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