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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 120 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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. spring — the season
  3. charge — electricity
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cold — an illness
  6. fine — high quality
  7. charge — a price
  8. spring — a coil
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. spring — of water
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. vault — a safe
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cold — not warm
  16. prune — to trim
  17. charge — in control
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. pound — a weight
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fine — all right
  23. rest — a break
  24. pound — for dogs

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