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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. capital — money
  5. squash — to crush
  6. mate — a partner
  7. ground — a position
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. mate — a friend
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mate — to breed
  13. chip — for betting
  14. ground — crushed
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. ground — the earth
  17. drill — the tool
  18. squash — the sport
  19. drill — a practice
  20. chip — to eat
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. capital — a city
  24. drill — army training

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