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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. rule — a law
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cold — an illness
  13. lie — to recline
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. rule — government
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cold — not warm
  20. ground — a position
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. mine — for digging
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. hide — animal skin

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