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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. file — a document
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. squash — the sport
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bank — of a river
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a tool
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. capital — a city
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bank — for money
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pitch — completely
  21. capital — money
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bank — for money

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