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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. club — for dancing
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. spring — the season
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. squash — to crush
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. wound — an injury
  9. squash — the sport
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. club — for golf
  12. spring — of water
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. spring — a coil
  15. capital — a city
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. club — a group
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. capital — a big letter

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