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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. capital — a city
  3. deal — to handle
  4. object — a thing
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cold — not warm
  10. capital — money
  11. cold — an illness
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. object — an aim
  21. squash — to crush
  22. object — to protest
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bowl — a dish

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