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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. snap — to click
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. mine — for digging
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. root — of a plant
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. tear — from crying
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. tear — to rip
  15. root — the cause
  16. fine — high quality
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. toast — bread
  20. tear — from crying
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. root — of a word
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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