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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. scale — size or range
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bound — certain
  13. snap — to click
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bound — obliged
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. wind — moving air
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bound — tied together
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. fine — all right
  24. scale — in music

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