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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. ground — the earth
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cap — a lid
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. fine — all right
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. cell — a phone
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. ground — crushed
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bear — the animal
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stock — goods
  23. ground — a position
  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