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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. fine — high quality
  3. key — for a lock
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. mug — a face
  7. cold — an illness
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mug — a cup
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. cold — not warm
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. fork — in a road
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. fine — all right
  19. mine — for digging
  20. sharp — clever
  21. prune — to trim
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — in music
  24. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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