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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — the earth
  6. fall — to drop
  7. scale — size or range
  8. charge — electricity
  9. prune — to trim
  10. scale — in music
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. charge — in control
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. fall — to drop
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cold — an illness
  17. fall — the season
  18. bear — the animal
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. ground — crushed
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. cold — not warm
  24. charge — a price

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