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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. field — for sport
  3. key — for a lock
  4. rash — a series
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. key — the most important part
  7. pop — soda
  8. capital — money
  9. pop — music
  10. cap — a hat
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — a permit
  16. field — a subject
  17. cap — a lid
  18. capital — a city
  19. ground — a position
  20. pop — to visit
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. key — in music
  23. field — farmland
  24. ground — crushed

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