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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. firm — a company
  3. ball — a dance
  4. march — the month
  5. ground — a position
  6. capital — a city
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. object — an aim
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. firm — decided
  18. object — a thing
  19. foot — a measure
  20. firm — steady
  21. object — to protest
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ground — the earth

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