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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. bank — of a river
  4. club — for dancing
  5. ground — crushed
  6. dip — to sink
  7. sharp — clever
  8. club — for golf
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bank — for money
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. capital — money
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. club — a group
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bank — for money
  24. capital — a city

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