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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 120 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. capital — money
  3. file — a document
  4. pop — to visit
  5. capital — a city
  6. rash — a series
  7. pop — music
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. file — a tool
  10. bound — obliged
  11. board — a committee
  12. ground — the earth
  13. pop — soda
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — to confront
  17. bound — tied together
  18. file — a line of people
  19. board — to get on
  20. bound — certain
  21. ground — crushed
  22. face — part of the head
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. rash — hasty

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