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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. capital — a city
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. capital — money
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rock — a stone
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rush — hurry
  15. branch — a division
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. rock — music
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. ground — a position
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — help

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