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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. deal — to handle
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. ground — the earth
  7. current — happening now
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. season — of the year
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. saw — the tool
  15. current — electric
  16. ground — a position
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. mine — for digging
  19. saw — the tool
  20. current — of water
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. season — in sport
  24. lie — to recline

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