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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 116 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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. fine — all right
  4. last — to go on
  5. fine — high quality
  6. spring — a coil
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — a position
  9. spring — of water
  10. band — a music group
  11. can — to be able to
  12. fork — in a road
  13. spring — the season
  14. last — final
  15. band — a ring
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. last — finally
  19. can — a tin
  20. lie — to recline
  21. ground — crushed
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. can — a tin
  24. fine — a penalty

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