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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 120 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.

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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: sharp · drill · squash · root · capital · kick · ground · ruler

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. drill — a practice
  3. ground — a position
  4. squash — to crush
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. capital — a city
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. root — of a word
  11. ground — the earth
  12. kick — in football
  13. sharp — clever
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. drill — army training
  17. capital — money
  18. root — of a plant
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. drill — the tool
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. ground — crushed
  23. root — the cause
  24. squash — the sport

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