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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · capital · squash · tear · ruler · deal

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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. ruler — for measuring
  4. land — ground
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. squash — to crush
  8. land — to come down
  9. capital — money
  10. tear — from crying
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. capital — a city
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. tear — to rip
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. deal — to handle
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. tear — from crying

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