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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. can — to be able to
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. face — to point toward
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. staff — a stick
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. can — a tin
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. staff — employees
  13. face — to confront
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. capital — a city
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. capital — money
  20. staff — employees
  21. can — a tin
  22. face — part of the head
  23. ground — the earth
  24. nail — for a hammer

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