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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rule — government
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — the earth
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fine — all right
  9. fall — the season
  10. ground — crushed
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. rule — a law
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fine — high quality
  18. prune — to trim
  19. spring — of water
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. shower — rain
  22. spring — the season
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fall — to drop

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