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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 120 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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. march — music
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. march — the month
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. march — the month
  14. cold — not warm
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. mine — for digging
  18. fork — in a road
  19. stand — to bear
  20. cold — an illness
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. hide — animal skin

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