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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. foot — a measure
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pit — a hole
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. ground — a position
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. ground — the earth
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. hand — help
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. hand — in cards
  19. mine — for digging
  20. row — a line
  21. pit — in a race
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. hand — part of the body

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