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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. spring — the season
  3. capital — a city
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. spring — a coil
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. squash — to crush
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. toast — bread
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. spring — of water
  15. deal — to handle
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. lie — to recline
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. squash — the sport
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. fan — a supporter

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