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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.

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: spell · pit · land · ground · kid · squash · board · staff

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. squash — the sport
  3. spell — magic
  4. land — a country
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. board — to get on
  8. ground — a position
  9. spell — a short time
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. kid — to tease
  15. pit — a hole
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. spell — letters
  18. kid — child
  19. staff — a stick
  20. ground — the earth
  21. board — a committee
  22. pit — in a race
  23. ground — crushed
  24. squash — to crush

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