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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. track — a path
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. track — to keep track
  6. kick — in football
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. fine — high quality
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. fine — all right
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. rule — government
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. track — a song
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. dip — to sink
  24. wind — moving air

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