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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. pass — a permit
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. capital — money
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fine — all right
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. fine — high quality
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. deal — to handle
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. pass — to succeed

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