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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. can — a tin
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cold — an illness
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. march — the month
  7. can — a tin
  8. fine — all right
  9. march — the month
  10. cold — not warm
  11. march — music
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. deal — to handle
  21. rash — a series
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. can — to be able to
  24. rash — hasty

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