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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 116 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. ground — a position
  5. face — to confront
  6. hand — help
  7. ground — crushed
  8. face — part of the head
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mine — for digging
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — electricity
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. ground — the earth
  19. charge — a price
  20. face — to point toward
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. prune — to trim
  23. hand — in cards
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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