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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  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 — the earth
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. net — for catching
  6. ground — crushed
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. saw — the tool
  10. net — after costs
  11. bat — the animal
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. net — in sport
  14. capital — a city
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. capital — money
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. ground — a position
  20. saw — the tool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. date — the fruit
  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