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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pop — soda
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pop — to visit
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bear — the animal
  8. last — finally
  9. ground — the earth
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. rest — a break
  12. fine — all right
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pop — music
  17. last — to go on
  18. fork — in a road
  19. content — happy
  20. last — final
  21. rest — what's left
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. content — the amount

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