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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. season — in sport
  4. capital — a city
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. season — of the year
  8. file — a line of people
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pass — a permit
  14. file — a document
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — to crush
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. hand — help
  19. file — a tool
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. squash — the sport
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. capital — money
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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