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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. craft — a skill
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — a line
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. squash — to crush
  8. roll — a list
  9. squash — the sport
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. court — for sport
  12. craft — boats
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. roll — a cake
  16. court — of law
  17. court — of a king
  18. bass — low music
  19. row — to paddle
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. capital — a city
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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