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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. ground — a position
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. capital — money
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. ground — crushed
  10. mug — a face
  11. ground — the earth
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. capital — a city
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mark — a trace
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bat — the animal
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. mug — to rob
  24. fork — in a road

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