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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. ground — crushed
  3. cell — in biology
  4. ground — the earth
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. spell — letters
  7. ground — a position
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. capital — a city
  11. spell — magic
  12. key — for a lock
  13. capital — money
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. key — in music
  16. snap — to click
  17. cell — a phone
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. key — the most important part
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. spell — a short time
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. nail — on a finger

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