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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. toast — bread
  3. game — wild animals
  4. foot — a measure
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. squash — the sport
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. game — a match
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. date — the fruit
  15. pit — a hole
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. deal — to handle
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. pit — in a race
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — money

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