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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: ground · capital · degree · wake · wound · bay · squash · ruler

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. ground — the earth
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wound — an injury
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. capital — money
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ground — a position
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. ground — crushed
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. capital — a city

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