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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. capital — a city
  4. wake — a trail
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. swing — to play on
  8. ground — crushed
  9. capital — money
  10. swing — in golf
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. mark — a trace
  14. ground — the earth
  15. rock — a stone
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — music
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. mark — a grade
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. swing — music
  23. kick — in football
  24. perch — the fish

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