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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fine — high quality
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. chip — to eat
  6. rush — hurry
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bat — the animal
  11. cell — in biology
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. row — a line
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. row — to paddle
  21. fine — all right
  22. cell — a phone
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. chip — in a computer

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