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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. present — there
  3. ground — the earth
  4. key — the most important part
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a list
  9. race — humankind
  10. capital — a city
  11. ground — a position
  12. bulb — for light
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. key — in music
  15. bulb — for light
  16. present — a gift
  17. race — a contest
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. present — the time now
  20. race — the arms race
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. key — for a lock
  24. capital — money

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