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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. season — of the year
  3. rule — a law
  4. lie — to recline
  5. fine — all right
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wound — an injury
  8. season — in sport
  9. rule — government
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. object — to protest
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. object — an aim
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cap — a hat
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cap — a lid
  23. object — a thing
  24. mine — an explosive

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