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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. ground — crushed
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. drill — the tool
  16. capital — a city
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pitch — completely
  23. capital — money
  24. ground — a position

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