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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fine — all right
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. scale — size or range
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. land — a country
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mate — a friend
  15. land — to come down
  16. fine — high quality
  17. land — ground
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — an illness
  20. mate — to breed
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. mate — a partner

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