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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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Word bank
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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. object — a thing
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. capital — money
  6. fine — high quality
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. object — an aim
  9. capital — a city
  10. net — after costs
  11. fine — all right
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. net — for catching
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. ground — the earth
  21. net — in sport
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. object — to protest

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