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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. ground — the earth
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. content — the amount
  6. deal — to handle
  7. mark — a trace
  8. cold — an illness
  9. content — happy
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. object — to protest
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. ground — a position
  15. object — an aim
  16. capital — money
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cold — not warm
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. ground — crushed
  21. mark — a grade
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. capital — a city

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