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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pop — music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. capital — a city
  8. ground — the earth
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. hand — in cards
  11. sharp — clever
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. ground — a position
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. capital — money
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. ground — crushed
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. hand — help
  22. pop — soda
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. pitcher — a jug

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