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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. game — wild animals
  5. capital — money
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. ball — a dance
  8. press — a publisher
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. squash — the sport
  12. ball — a great time
  13. capital — a city
  14. press — to push
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ground — crushed
  21. press — newspapers
  22. kick — in football
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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