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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 no middle ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cap — a lid
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cap — of ice
  7. stock — goods
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. content — the amount
  10. ball — a dance
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. cold — an illness
  13. ball — a great time
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. ground — crushed
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. content — happy
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. cap — a hat
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cold — not warm

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