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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. chest — of your body
  3. fork — in a road
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. chest — a box
  6. charge — a price
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. mine — for digging
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. charge — electricity
  13. ground — the earth
  14. charge — in control
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. chest — of your body
  18. jam — to spread on bread

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