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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: cap · race · row · squash · pitcher · deal · kick · roll

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. squash — to crush
  5. roll — a list
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. race — the arms race
  8. row — to paddle
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. roll — a cake
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — of ice
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — humankind
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. squash — the sport
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. kick — in football

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