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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. stand — to bear
  3. ground — a position
  4. plane — a tool
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stock — shares
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. field — a subject
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ground — the earth
  14. field — farmland
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. field — for sport
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. lie — to recline
  22. stock — goods
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. mine — for digging

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