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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. toast — bread
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. clip — to cut
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. ground — a position
  12. capital — money
  13. squash — to crush
  14. capital — a city
  15. ground — crushed
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. clip — for paper
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. clip — a video
  24. toast — a drink to someone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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