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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. branch — a division
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. ground — a position
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. ground — crushed
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. cold — an illness
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. ground — the earth

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