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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. object — to protest
  4. file — a document
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. capital — money
  7. file — a tool
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. capital — a city
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — in sport
  17. object — an aim
  18. squash — the sport
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. object — a thing
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. net — after costs
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. squash — to crush

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