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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. squash — to crush
  5. game — wild animals
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wake — a trail
  11. stand — to bear
  12. chip — for betting
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. capital — a city
  15. mark — a trace
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. chip — to eat
  20. capital — money
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. mark — a grade

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