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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rush — hurry
  6. fine — high quality
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. mug — a cup
  12. pit — in a race
  13. mug — a face
  14. cold — not warm
  15. mug — to rob
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. hand — help
  19. fall — the season
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pit — a hole
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cold — an illness
  24. fine — all right

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