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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.

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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. squash — the sport
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. tube — the underground
  11. capital — a city
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. squash — to crush
  18. tube — a container
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a line
  23. capital — money
  24. nail — for a hammer

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