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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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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: hide · capital · pit · snap · ground · court · wax · mine

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — a position
  6. pit — a hole
  7. snap — to click
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. court — of law
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. ground — crushed
  12. capital — money
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. wax — to grow
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. capital — a city

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