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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. ground — crushed
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rock — music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. sharp — clever
  8. capital — money
  9. lie — to recline
  10. ground — the earth
  11. firm — steady
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. firm — decided
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. scale — size or range
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rock — a stone
  19. capital — a city
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. scale — in music
  22. ground — a position
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. firm — a company

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