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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — to fit
  4. land — ground
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mug — a face
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. suit — clothes
  9. land — a country
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. ground — crushed
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mug — to rob
  19. land — to come down
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. ground — a position
  23. mug — a cup
  24. cold — not warm

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