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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. capital — money
  3. tear — from crying
  4. object — to protest
  5. rest — what's left
  6. tear — to rip
  7. mug — to rob
  8. dip — to sink
  9. object — an aim
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. squash — to crush
  13. rest — a break
  14. capital — a city
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mug — a face
  19. rest — what's left
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. squash — the sport
  22. object — a thing
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mug — a cup

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