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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 120 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. mark — a grade
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. snap — to click
  5. mark — a trace
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. capital — money
  8. spring — a coil
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. spring — the season
  11. wind — moving air
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. spring — of water
  14. foot — a measure
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. capital — a city
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. ground — a position
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. ground — the earth
  24. lie — to recline

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