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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. squash — to crush
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. ground — the earth
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. capital — money
  11. suit — to fit
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. deal — to handle
  16. cell — in biology
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. suit — clothes
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. ground — a position
  21. suit — in cards
  22. bat — the animal
  23. cell — a phone
  24. ruler — for measuring

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