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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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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: ground · cap · march · snap · squash · sharp · ball · track

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. ground — a position
  5. ball — a great time
  6. track — a song
  7. track — to keep track
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. march — music
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. sharp — clever
  15. ball — a dance
  16. march — the month
  17. ground — the earth
  18. march — the month
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. squash — the sport
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. ground — crushed
  24. track — a path

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