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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cue — a signal
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. cue — a hint
  12. rash — hasty
  13. squash — the sport
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. capital — a city
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cue — for pool
  21. rash — a series
  22. mine — for digging
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. capital — money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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