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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. drill — the tool
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. last — to go on
  9. roll — a cake
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — army training
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. last — final
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. last — finally
  22. roll — a list
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. mine — for digging

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