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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 116 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — of ice
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the sport
  6. rest — a break
  7. cue — for pool
  8. rest — what's left
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. object — a thing
  11. last — to go on
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — to protest
  14. capital — money
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cue — a signal
  17. last — final
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. capital — a city
  20. cue — a hint
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. cap — a lid
  24. last — finally

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