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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. saw — the tool
  3. face — to point toward
  4. fine — high quality
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. capital — money
  7. present — a gift
  8. capital — a city
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. face — to confront
  12. fine — all right
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. face — part of the head
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bat — the animal
  19. present — the time now
  20. bass — low music
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. present — there
  24. hide — animal skin

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