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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. chair — a leader
  3. scale — in music
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. hand — help
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. capital — money
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. capital — a city
  17. scale — size or range
  18. ground — crushed
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. hand — in cards
  23. ground — a position
  24. pitch — completely

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