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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mate — to breed
  4. ground — crushed
  5. can — to be able to
  6. spring — the season
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. spring — of water
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. can — a tin
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — a partner
  14. spring — a coil
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. can — a tin
  17. stand — to bear
  18. drill — army training
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — money
  23. ground — a position
  24. drill — the tool

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