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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cold — not warm
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rush — hurry
  7. toast — bread
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. band — a ring
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. band — a music group
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pit — a hole
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. pit — in a race

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