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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. capital — a city
  6. cue — a hint
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the sport
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. lie — to recline
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cue — for pool
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cue — a signal
  22. snap — to click
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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