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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: capital · ground · squash · lean · cap · kick · wind · bowl

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. kick — in football
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to bend
  9. cap — of ice
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. ground — crushed
  12. capital — money
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. capital — a city
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. ground — a position
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cap — a hat
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bowl — a football final

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