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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 116 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. pass — a permit
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. land — a country
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. capital — money
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wind — moving air
  14. capital — a city
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. land — ground
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wind — moving air
  22. land — to come down
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. racket — a loud noise

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