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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. present — there
  3. mate — a partner
  4. cap — of ice
  5. staff — a stick
  6. fork — in a road
  7. mate — to breed
  8. cap — a hat
  9. staff — employees
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. lie — to recline
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — a gift
  21. spell — a short time
  22. mate — a friend
  23. staff — employees
  24. lie — an untruth

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