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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. rest — a break
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — hasty
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. ground — a position
  13. rest — what's left
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. rest — what's left
  18. board — to get on
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. board — a committee
  22. deal — to handle
  23. fine — high quality
  24. leaves — of a tree

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