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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. cell — in biology
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. court — for sport
  6. craft — a skill
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. root — of a word
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cell — a phone
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a plant
  15. court — of a king
  16. rash — hasty
  17. craft — boats
  18. capital — a city
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. capital — money
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rash — a series
  23. court — of law
  24. date — the fruit

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