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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. capital — a city
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. capital — money
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. foot — a measure
  23. ground — the earth
  24. fork — in a road

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