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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.

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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: wind · ground · calf · capital · bay · squash · mark · bat

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bat — the animal
  8. ground — crushed
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mark — a trace
  11. squash — the sport
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. ground — the earth
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. ground — a position
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a city
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. calf — a young animal

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