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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. capital — money
  5. cap — a lid
  6. tube — the underground
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. squash — the sport
  9. rush — hurry
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. tube — a container
  12. capital — a city
  13. can — a tin
  14. cap — of ice
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. cap — a hat
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pitch — completely
  24. tube — in a tire

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