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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 124 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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. mark — a grade
  4. tear — from crying
  5. field — for sport
  6. tear — to rip
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. field — farmland
  9. capital — a city
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. scale — size or range
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mark — a trace
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. deal — to handle
  16. scale — in music
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. field — a subject
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. capital — money
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. chair — a leader

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