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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 116 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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. squash — the sport
  3. capital — money
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. squash — to crush
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — the cause
  12. pound — a weight
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. root — of a word
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. capital — a city
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. capital — a big letter

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