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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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. row — to paddle
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. row — a line
  7. vault — a safe
  8. ball — a dance
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. shower — to wash
  13. ball — a great time
  14. fine — high quality
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mate — a partner
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. shower — rain
  24. bay — a horse colour

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