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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. ground — the earth
  6. spring — of water
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. fall — the season
  10. spring — the season
  11. ground — a position
  12. tear — from crying
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rest — what's left
  15. game — wild animals
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. tear — to rip
  19. capital — money
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. capital — a city
  22. tear — from crying
  23. game — a match
  24. capital — a big letter

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