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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. capital — a city
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. toast — bread
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — the animal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. can — to be able to
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. capital — money
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. can — a tin
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — to crush

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