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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  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 — the earth
  2. bound — certain
  3. capital — money
  4. land — a country
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bound — tied together
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. land — ground
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. land — to come down
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. ground — a position
  16. content — happy
  17. capital — a city
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bound — obliged
  20. content — the amount
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. vault — a safe
  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