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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ground — the earth
  5. drill — the tool
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. ball — a dance
  8. deal — to handle
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a city
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. drill — army training
  18. ground — a position
  19. game — a match
  20. file — a line of people
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a tool

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