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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. fine — all right
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. ground — the earth
  5. game — wild animals
  6. spring — the season
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. spring — of water
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. ground — crushed
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. ground — a position
  14. game — a match
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. spring — a coil
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. shower — to wash
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. shower — rain
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. fine — high quality

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