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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. wound — an injury
  3. ground — a position
  4. ball — a great time
  5. lie — to recline
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. track — a path
  10. wound — an injury
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. capital — a city
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. foot — a measure
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — the earth
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. foot — the bottom
  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