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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bat — the animal
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wind — moving air
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. squash — the sport
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bass — low music
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wind — moving air
  20. capital — a city
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. perch — for a bird

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