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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. craft — boats
  7. wax — to grow
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. squash — to crush
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. march — music
  15. squash — the sport
  16. capital — money
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. march — the month
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. capital — a city
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. march — the month

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