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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — to crush
  3. ground — a position
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bass — the fish
  8. deal — to handle
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. capital — money
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. ground — the earth
  16. squash — the sport
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. toast — bread
  21. capital — a city
  22. bass — low music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bass — the instrument

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