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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. capital — money
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. rash — a series
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. can — a tin
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. shower — rain
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. capital — a city
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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