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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. press — a publisher
  3. squash — to crush
  4. foot — a measure
  5. capital — a city
  6. fine — high quality
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. capital — money
  10. press — to push
  11. rash — a series
  12. fine — all right
  13. kid — child
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rash — hasty
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. press — newspapers
  20. kid — to tease
  21. prune — to trim
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. squash — the sport

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