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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. ground — crushed
  5. deal — to handle
  6. lean — to bend
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. perch — the fish
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. present — there
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. lean — thin
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. cold — not warm
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. present — the time now

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