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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. ground — crushed
  4. capital — a city
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. fine — all right
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pound — a weight
  13. fine — high quality
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wind — moving air
  18. ground — the earth
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. capital — money
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. ground — a position
  24. straw — dry grass

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