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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pit — a hole
  8. season — of the year
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pit — in a race
  12. swing — music
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. swing — to play on
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. swing — in golf
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. fan — a supporter

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