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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 116 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bound — obliged
  6. deal — to handle
  7. ground — the earth
  8. capital — a city
  9. wound — an injury
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rock — a stone
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bound — certain
  15. club — for golf
  16. bound — tied together
  17. club — for dancing
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. club — a group
  23. rock — music
  24. capital — money

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