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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 116 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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. ground — crushed
  4. track — a path
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. drill — a practice
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. fall — to drop
  9. track — to keep track
  10. ground — a position
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. drill — the tool
  14. game — wild animals
  15. drill — army training
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — to get on
  18. fall — to drop
  19. track — a song
  20. game — a match
  21. capital — a city
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. fall — the season

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