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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: leaves · pitcher · vault · capital · deal · mate · squash · ground

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. deal — to handle
  8. squash — to crush
  9. capital — a city
  10. ground — the earth
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ground — a position
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. squash — the sport
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. mate — to breed
  18. capital — money
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. vault — a safe
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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