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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. can — a tin
  3. last — finally
  4. capital — money
  5. last — to go on
  6. capital — a city
  7. squash — the sport
  8. can — to be able to
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. spell — magic
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bank — of a river
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. fork — in a road
  20. can — a tin
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. last — final
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. spell — letters

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