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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. field — farmland
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. field — for sport
  10. current — happening now
  11. wound — an injury
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fine — high quality
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. toast — bread
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. rest — what's left
  19. current — of water
  20. rest — a break
  21. current — electric
  22. field — a subject
  23. date — the fruit
  24. rash — hasty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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