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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. clip — to cut
  4. march — the month
  5. clip — for paper
  6. firm — decided
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. fine — all right
  10. march — the month
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wind — moving air
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. march — music
  16. wind — moving air
  17. clip — a video
  18. firm — a company
  19. game — a match
  20. mine — for digging
  21. game — wild animals
  22. firm — steady
  23. fine — high quality
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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