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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: suit · fall · ground · saw · squash · pass · capital · game

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. saw — the tool
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — in cards
  8. squash — the sport
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. capital — a city
  11. game — wild animals
  12. capital — money
  13. saw — the tool
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. ground — the earth
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pass — a permit
  19. fall — the season
  20. ground — a position
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. fall — to drop
  23. game — a match
  24. ground — crushed

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