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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. capital — money
  4. staff — employees
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. staff — employees
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. squash — to crush
  14. staff — a stick
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mark — a trace
  18. squash — the sport
  19. mark — a grade
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — a practice
  23. capital — a city
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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