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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 120 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. The water is too ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cold — an illness
  4. suit — clothes
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. fine — all right
  7. rest — what's left
  8. suit — to fit
  9. rest — a break
  10. fine — high quality
  11. ground — a position
  12. suit — in cards
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. field — a subject
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. field — for sport
  20. mine — for digging
  21. ground — crushed
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. ground — the earth
  24. field — farmland

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