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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. squash — to crush
  3. capital — money
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. last — final
  6. current — of water
  7. last — to go on
  8. current — happening now
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. squash — the sport
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. current — electric
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. last — finally
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lie — to recline
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fork — in a road
  23. hand — help
  24. capital — a city

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