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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. season — of the year
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. lean — thin
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. fine — high quality
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. fine — all right
  11. dip — to sink
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ground — crushed
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. saw — the tool
  17. land — ground
  18. season — in sport
  19. ground — a position
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — to bend
  24. dip — to dunk

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