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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: cabinet · season · capital · date · squash · ground · wave · deal

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. date — the fruit
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. season — of the year
  14. ground — a position
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. capital — money
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. season — in sport
  23. ground — the earth
  24. deal — to handle

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