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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. can — a tin
  4. track — a song
  5. ground — crushed
  6. track — a path
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mate — a partner
  10. can — a tin
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. sharp — clever
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. mate — to breed
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. can — to be able to
  21. mate — a friend
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. leaves — to go away

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