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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. capital — a city
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. perch — the fish
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. net — after costs
  13. pop — soda
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pop — to visit
  16. ground — a position
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. net — in sport
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — crushed
  22. capital — money
  23. net — for catching
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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