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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. squash — to crush
  4. fall — the season
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bank — for money
  14. ground — a position
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bank — for money
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. craft — boats
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bank — of a river
  23. ground — the earth
  24. fall — to drop

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