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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. deal — to handle
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. content — the amount
  5. last — finally
  6. squash — to crush
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. kid — child
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. content — happy
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. last — to go on
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. capital — a city
  19. last — final
  20. squash — the sport
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. fan — a supporter

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