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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. object — a thing
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. degree — from a university
  7. capital — a city
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. capital — money
  11. sharp — clever
  12. object — to protest
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. object — an aim
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. lie — to recline
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. degree — an amount
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. degree — temperature
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. ground — crushed

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