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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. mark — a trace
  3. staff — a stick
  4. rock — a stone
  5. clip — to cut
  6. ground — crushed
  7. mark — a grade
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. clip — a video
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. staff — employees
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. capital — a city
  17. ground — a position
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. capital — money
  20. can — a tin
  21. rock — music
  22. ground — the earth
  23. staff — employees
  24. capital — a big letter

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