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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. land — ground
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. land — a country
  8. ground — the earth
  9. fine — all right
  10. lie — to recline
  11. fork — in a road
  12. ground — a position
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. fine — high quality
  15. ground — crushed
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. land — to come down
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. fork — to eat with

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