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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bear — the animal
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bear — the animal
  9. ground — crushed
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. dip — to sink
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. cap — a lid
  16. kick — in football
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bulb — for light
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. ground — the earth
  21. cap — a hat
  22. fork — in a road
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. dip — to dunk

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