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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. file — a tool
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fine — all right
  5. mate — to breed
  6. perch — the fish
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rash — hasty
  12. mate — a partner
  13. file — a document
  14. ball — a dance
  15. date — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. rash — a series
  18. ball — a great time
  19. file — a line of people
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mate — a friend

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