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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 116 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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the sport
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. mate — a partner
  8. capital — a city
  9. perch — the fish
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — all right
  12. mate — a friend
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. capital — money
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lean — to bend
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. mate — to breed
  23. fine — high quality
  24. squash — the vegetable

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