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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. ground — the earth
  3. rest — a break
  4. capital — money
  5. ground — a position
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. spell — letters
  9. chair — a leader
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. capital — a city
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. sharp — clever
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. spell — magic
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. ground — crushed
  24. sharp — with an edge

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