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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. hand — in cards
  3. season — in sport
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. season — of the year
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. firm — decided
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fine — all right
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. hand — help
  17. fine — high quality
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. firm — steady
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. ball — a dance
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. temple — side of the head

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