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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 124 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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. roll — a list
  10. ground — crushed
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. scale — size or range
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — money
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ground — the earth
  22. roll — a cake
  23. scale — in music
  24. pitcher — a jug

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