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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. capital — a city
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. firm — a company
  6. craft — a skill
  7. capital — money
  8. spell — magic
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. ground — the earth
  11. firm — decided
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. craft — boats
  15. spell — a short time
  16. firm — steady
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. ground — a position
  20. rest — a break
  21. wax — to grow
  22. spell — letters
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. jam — to spread on bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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