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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rest — what's left
  4. race — a contest
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rest — what's left
  7. ground — the earth
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. race — humankind
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. race — the arms race
  15. capital — money
  16. rest — a break
  17. capital — a city
  18. wax — to grow
  19. perch — the fish
  20. net — in sport
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  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