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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. saw — the tool
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. season — in sport
  6. march — the month
  7. pitch — completely
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. object — a thing
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. march — the month
  12. saw — the tool
  13. date — the fruit
  14. march — music
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. kid — child
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. object — an aim
  19. kid — to tease
  20. season — of the year
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. fine — high quality
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. object — to protest

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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