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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. ground — a position
  4. scale — size or range
  5. tear — from crying
  6. face — part of the head
  7. scale — in music
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. tear — to rip
  10. ground — the earth
  11. vault — a safe
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. cue — for pool
  14. face — to confront
  15. capital — money
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. face — to point toward
  19. cue — a signal
  20. capital — a city
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. tear — from crying
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. cue — a hint

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