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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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. game — a match
  3. suit — clothes
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. suit — to fit
  10. ground — crushed
  11. squash — the sport
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mine — for digging
  22. suit — in cards
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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