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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. march — music
  3. stand — to bear
  4. fine — high quality
  5. net — for catching
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. swing — in golf
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. content — happy
  12. march — the month
  13. swing — to play on
  14. march — the month
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. fine — all right
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. swing — music
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. fork — in a road
  21. content — the amount
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  24. fork — to eat 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