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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. fine — all right
  10. capital — a city
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mine — for digging
  13. capital — money
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bass — low music
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bass — the fish
  18. fine — high quality
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. snap — to click
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. foot — a measure

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