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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. fall — the season
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. net — after costs
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. ground — a position
  9. fine — high quality
  10. capital — a city
  11. bound — obliged
  12. fall — to drop
  13. net — in sport
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. ground — the earth
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bound — certain
  18. fine — all right
  19. net — for catching
  20. capital — money
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bound — tied together
  23. fall — to drop
  24. foot — the bottom

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