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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. capital — money
  4. cold — an illness
  5. scale — in music
  6. capital — a city
  7. can — a tin
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a song
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. ground — crushed
  12. lean — thin
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. ground — the earth
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. ground — a position
  17. lean — to bend
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. can — to be able to
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. cold — not warm
  22. scale — size or range
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. track — a path

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