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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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: chair · lie · capital · ground · safe · squash · plane · season

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. squash — the sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. lie — to recline
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. season — in sport
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. capital — money
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. ground — the earth
  19. capital — a city
  20. chair — a leader
  21. squash — to crush
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. plane — a tool
  24. safe — a strongbox

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