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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: dip · suit · capital · bear · squash · hand · land · kick

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. suit — clothes
  3. suit — to fit
  4. land — ground
  5. dip — to sink
  6. hand — help
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. squash — the sport
  10. capital — money
  11. suit — in cards
  12. capital — a city
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. land — to come down
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bear — the animal
  19. hand — in cards
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. land — a country

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