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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  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. ground — crushed
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. ball — a great time
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. ground — the earth
  6. row — a line
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. craft — a skill
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. fork — in a road
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. ball — a dance
  16. capital — a city
  17. wake — a trail
  18. stand — to bear
  19. ground — a position
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. capital — money
  22. row — to paddle
  23. craft — boats
  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