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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — all right
  4. bear — the animal
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. saw — the tool
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bear — the animal
  12. last — finally
  13. deal — to handle
  14. last — final
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. dip — to sink
  18. saw — the tool
  19. hand — help
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. hand — in cards
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bear — to put up with

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