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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. charge — a price
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. ground — a position
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. ground — the earth
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. track — a song
  10. saw — the tool
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. charge — electricity
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. charge — in control
  18. saw — the tool
  19. ground — crushed
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fork — in a road

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