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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. rule — a law
  8. fall — to drop
  9. ground — crushed
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rule — government
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — a trail
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fall — the season
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. scale — size or range
  23. fall — to drop
  24. scale — in music

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