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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 120 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. fine — all right
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mine — for digging
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. current — electric
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. current — happening now
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — rain
  15. march — the month
  16. stem — to come from
  17. march — the month
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. current — of water
  21. fine — high quality
  22. scale — in music
  23. march — music
  24. scale — size or range

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