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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. land — to come down
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. ground — a position
  6. board — a committee
  7. pound — a weight
  8. ground — crushed
  9. capital — money
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. land — ground
  12. board — to get on
  13. capital — a city
  14. snap — to click
  15. land — a country
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. snap — to speak sharply

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