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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 116 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mark — a trace
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bank — for money
  6. last — finally
  7. pit — a hole
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. fine — high quality
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bank — for money
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. last — to go on
  17. shower — rain
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bank — of a river
  22. pit — in a race
  23. mark — a grade
  24. last — final

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