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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. game — wild animals
  3. fall — the season
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. ball — a dance
  6. swing — in golf
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a city
  9. bore — to drill
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. ground — the earth
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. ball — a great time
  14. swing — music
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. fall — to drop
  17. swing — to play on
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. ground — a position
  21. bore — to tire
  22. sharp — clever
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bore — gave birth

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