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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. wound — an injury
  3. present — a gift
  4. fine — all right
  5. scale — size or range
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. present — the time now
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rash — a series
  15. rush — hurry
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cap — a hat
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. wound — an injury
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. present — there

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