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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. cap — of ice
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. rock — music
  19. cap — a lid
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bark — to shout
  24. rock — a stone

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