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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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. club — for dancing
  4. drill — the tool
  5. fine — all right
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. face — to confront
  9. drill — army training
  10. club — for golf
  11. face — part of the head
  12. drill — a practice
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. club — a group
  15. perch — the fish
  16. face — to point toward
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. dip — to sink
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rush — hurry
  24. dip — to dunk

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