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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. capital — a city
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. squash — the sport
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. fall — to drop
  9. charge — electricity
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. hand — help
  16. squash — to crush
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bass — low music
  19. charge — a price
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. charge — in control
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bass — the fish

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