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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — high quality
  3. net — after costs
  4. ground — a position
  5. track — to keep track
  6. saw — the tool
  7. net — for catching
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. track — a song
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. mark — a grade
  15. fine — all right
  16. track — a path
  17. ground — crushed
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ground — the earth
  21. squash — to crush
  22. mark — a trace
  23. net — in sport
  24. pitcher — a jug

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