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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — in sport
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. squash — to crush
  9. tube — a container
  10. capital — a city
  11. object — to protest
  12. net — after costs
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. object — an aim
  15. hand — help
  16. squash — the sport
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. tube — the underground
  19. hand — in cards
  20. object — a thing
  21. can — a tin
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — in music
  24. capital — 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