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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. firm — a company
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. land — a country
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. firm — decided
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. capital — money
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. ground — the earth
  12. firm — steady
  13. key — in music
  14. capital — a city
  15. key — the most important part
  16. rush — hurry
  17. ground — crushed
  18. key — for a lock
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bat — the animal
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. capital — a big letter

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