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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. file — a tool
  5. ground — a position
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. ground — crushed
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. file — a document
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. file — a line of people
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. capital — money
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fork — in a road
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. row — to paddle
  24. fork — to eat with

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