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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. swing — music
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. field — for sport
  6. swing — in golf
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. field — a subject
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. deal — to handle
  13. swing — to play on
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. field — farmland
  20. fall — the season
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. fall — to drop
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. fall — to drop

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