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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. shower — to wash
  6. ball — a dance
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bear — the animal
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bear — the animal
  14. capital — a city
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. ball — a great time
  19. wind — moving air
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wind — moving air
  23. shower — rain
  24. ball — a round shape

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