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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. lie — to recline
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. march — the month
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. march — music
  7. spring — a coil
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. march — the month
  10. snap — to click
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fine — all right
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. spring — the season
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. spring — of water
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. file — a tool
  23. bulb — for light
  24. file — a document

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