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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. pop — soda
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fine — high quality
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. pop — music
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pass — a permit
  12. cell — a phone
  13. face — to point toward
  14. track — a song
  15. fine — all right
  16. track — a path
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. face — to confront
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. track — to keep track
  24. sharp — clever

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