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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. file — a line of people
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. charge — electricity
  6. ground — the earth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bulb — for light
  9. charge — in control
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. charge — a price
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ground — a position
  16. file — a document
  17. chest — a box
  18. file — a tool
  19. ground — crushed
  20. lie — to recline
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. mine — for digging

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