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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. key — in music
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mug — to rob
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. key — the most important part
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. drill — army training
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. drill — a practice
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — money
  14. key — for a lock
  15. season — in sport
  16. mug — a cup
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. hand — in cards
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. drill — the tool
  21. capital — a city
  22. season — of the year
  23. hand — help
  24. ground — crushed

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