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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. land — a country
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. land — to come down
  5. bat — the animal
  6. drill — a practice
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. land — ground
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. drill — army training
  12. stand — to bear
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. drill — the tool
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. deal — to handle
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. squash — to crush

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