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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. ground — a position
  3. firm — decided
  4. cell — a phone
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. firm — steady
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. capital — money
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cell — in biology
  13. scale — size or range
  14. prune — to trim
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. firm — a company
  21. ground — crushed
  22. capital — a city
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. ground — the earth

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