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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. squash — the sport
  8. capital — money
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. capital — a city
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. wound — an injury
  15. key — the most important part
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. cell — a phone
  20. fork — in a road
  21. cell — in biology
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a bank

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