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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · scale · drill · rock · ball · capital · mouse · fan

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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. ball — a round shape
  4. capital — a city
  5. ground — crushed
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. drill — army training
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. ground — the earth
  10. drill — a practice
  11. ball — a dance
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — a stone
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. rock — music
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. scale — size or range
  19. ball — a great time
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. capital — money
  24. fan — a supporter

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