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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: deal · ground · march · land · rock · lash · cap · suit

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. land — ground
  3. ground — crushed
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. march — music
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. cap — a hat
  9. suit — to fit
  10. deal — to handle
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cap — a lid
  13. march — the month
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — music
  17. land — a country
  18. ground — the earth
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. land — to come down
  21. suit — clothes
  22. march — the month
  23. ground — a position
  24. cap — of ice

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