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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. dip — to sink
  3. mate — a partner
  4. foot — a measure
  5. spell — magic
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. mate — a friend
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. land — a country
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. snap — to click
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. land — ground
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. mate — to breed
  17. fine — all right
  18. land — to come down
  19. spell — a short time
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. spell — letters
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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