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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. ground — the earth
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. wake — a trail
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. ground — a position
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. toast — bread
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. capital — a city
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. ground — crushed
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. capital — money
  20. perch — the fish
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bat — the animal

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