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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. ground — a position
  3. ball — a dance
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. key — in music
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. saw — the tool
  13. capital — money
  14. tear — to rip
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. key — the most important part
  18. tear — from crying
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. tear — from crying
  21. saw — the tool
  22. key — for a lock
  23. capital — a city
  24. jam — to spread on bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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