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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. spring — the season
  3. tear — from crying
  4. squash — to crush
  5. charge — a price
  6. cap — a lid
  7. charge — in control
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. tear — from crying
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. spring — of water
  15. tear — to rip
  16. charge — electricity
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cap — of ice
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — the sport
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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