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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mate — a partner
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. ground — a position
  6. cap — a hat
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bark — to shout
  16. cap — a lid
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cap — of ice
  21. lie — to recline
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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