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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cell — a phone
  4. land — ground
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. bear — the animal
  7. land — to come down
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fine — all right
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cell — in biology
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bear — the animal
  18. capital — money
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. land — a country
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. capital — a city
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cell — in a prison

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