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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — of ice
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bark — to shout
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wound — an injury
  10. squash — the sport
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. wound — an injury
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. deal — to handle
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. ground — the earth
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — a position
  22. cap — a hat
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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