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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. shower — to wash
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fine — all right
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rash — hasty
  10. key — for a lock
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. shower — rain
  13. bear — the animal
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. can — to be able to
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rash — a series
  18. roll — a list
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. can — a tin
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. key — in music
  23. roll — a cake
  24. can — a tin

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