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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — money
  6. rush — hurry
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. charge — a price
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. spring — a coil
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. charge — electricity
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. ground — a position
  19. spring — of water
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. charge — in control
  23. mark — a trace
  24. leaves — of a tree

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