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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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. shower — a meteor shower
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. key — the most important part
  5. mug — a face
  6. capital — money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. key — in music
  9. bank — for money
  10. capital — a city
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bank — for money
  15. shower — rain
  16. key — for a lock
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bat — the animal
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. mug — to rob
  23. squash — to crush
  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