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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. cap — of ice
  5. fine — high quality
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. saw — the tool
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. wake — a trail
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. cap — a lid
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. dip — to sink
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. cap — a hat
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. arm — part of the body

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