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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. spring — a coil
  5. chest — a box
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. ground — the earth
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mine — for digging
  12. ground — a position
  13. cap — of ice
  14. charge — electricity
  15. bear — the animal
  16. chest — of your body
  17. charge — a price
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fine — all right
  20. cap — a hat
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — high quality
  23. charge — in control
  24. bear — the animal

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