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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. key — in music
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. land — to come down
  8. squash — the sport
  9. stand — to bear
  10. ground — a position
  11. land — a country
  12. tube — the underground
  13. land — ground
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wound — an injury
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — the most important part
  23. tube — a container
  24. ground — the earth

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