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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.

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: squash · capital · bass · kick · swing · bear · ground · shower

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. capital — money
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. shower — to wash
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bear — the animal
  11. swing — music
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bass — low music
  14. capital — a city
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. kick — in football
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — rain
  19. swing — in golf
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. squash — the sport
  22. swing — to play on
  23. ground — the earth
  24. capital — a big letter

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