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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. squash — the sport
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. squash — to crush
  9. game — wild animals
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. chip — for betting
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. capital — a city
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. capital — money
  16. game — a match
  17. lie — to recline
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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