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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. saw — the tool
  4. dip — to sink
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. squash — the sport
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. season — of the year
  10. row — to paddle
  11. season — in sport
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. squash — to crush
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. bass — low music
  17. row — a line
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. bass — the fish
  24. season — to add flavour

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