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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · fine · lie · court · chest · spring · ground · bay

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. spring — of water
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. chest — of your body
  5. spring — a coil
  6. lie — to recline
  7. ground — the earth
  8. chest — a box
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. court — for sport
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fine — all right
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — a position
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fine — high quality
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. spring — the season

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