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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — in golf
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rest — a break
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cold — an illness
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. capital — a city
  14. foot — a measure
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. cold — not warm
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. swing — to play on
  23. rest — what's left
  24. foot — part of the body

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