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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. rash — hasty
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. charge — in control
  5. fall — the season
  6. capital — a city
  7. charge — a price
  8. tear — from crying
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. tear — to rip
  11. capital — money
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. fall — to drop
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. tear — from crying
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. charge — electricity
  22. fall — to drop
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — part of the body

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