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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 second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. wound — an injury
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. suit — clothes
  6. ground — a position
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. band — a music group
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. suit — in cards
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. deal — to handle
  14. rock — a stone
  15. tube — the underground
  16. suit — to fit
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rock — music
  20. tube — a container
  21. ground — the earth
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. capital — a city
  24. band — a ring

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