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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. club — for dancing
  6. wound — an injury
  7. ground — the earth
  8. club — a group
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. hand — help
  16. rock — music
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. club — for golf
  20. capital — money
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. capital — a city
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. hand — in cards

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