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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. land — ground
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. row — a line
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. capital — a city
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. land — to come down
  15. bat — the animal
  16. ground — a position
  17. row — to paddle
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. capital — money
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. land — a country
  23. bay — a horse colour
  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