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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 116 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. track — a path
  4. present — a gift
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. mate — a partner
  7. track — to keep track
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. mate — to breed
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. present — the time now
  13. track — a song
  14. swing — music
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. mate — a friend
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. present — there
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. swing — to play on
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. swing — in golf

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