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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. file — a document
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. spell — letters
  8. last — final
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. spell — magic
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. capital — a city
  14. last — to go on
  15. capital — money
  16. last — finally
  17. squash — to crush
  18. file — a line of people
  19. squash — the sport
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. file — a tool
  22. lie — to recline
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. spell — a short time

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