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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 was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. date — the fruit
  3. land — ground
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wound — an injury
  7. season — of the year
  8. land — to come down
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. ground — the earth
  13. land — a country
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. ground — a position
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fork — in a road
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. season — in sport
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. ground — crushed

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