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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. ground — a position
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. capital — money
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rule — a law
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. capital — a city
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. chip — to eat
  17. shower — rain
  18. rule — government
  19. chip — for betting
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rest — what's left
  24. shower — to wash

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