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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ball — a great time
  4. fine — high quality
  5. saw — the tool
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. cell — a phone
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. root — of a word
  10. wind — moving air
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. fine — all right
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. root — the cause
  21. ball — a dance
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. root — of a plant
  24. pop — soda

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