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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the sport
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. capital — a city
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wound — an injury
  11. capital — money
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. foot — a measure
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wound — an injury
  19. spring — the season
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. spring — of water
  24. foot — the bottom

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