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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. mug — a cup
  3. fine — high quality
  4. ground — a position
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. mug — to rob
  7. land — to come down
  8. pit — in a race
  9. mug — a face
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. fine — all right
  13. land — a country
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pit — a hole
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. toast — bread
  23. ground — crushed
  24. land — ground

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