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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. mine — for digging
  6. fine — high quality
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fine — all right
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mark — a trace
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. mark — a grade
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. lean — thin
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. lean — to bend
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. scale — for weighing

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