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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. chest — a box
  3. capital — a city
  4. pop — music
  5. chest — of your body
  6. capital — money
  7. pop — soda
  8. ground — crushed
  9. pit — a hole
  10. game — a match
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — a law
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pop — to visit
  15. ground — a position
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pit — in a race
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. ground — the earth
  23. sharp — clever
  24. capital — a big letter

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