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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 124 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. squash — the sport
  4. object — an aim
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. object — to protest
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. root — of a plant
  9. charge — electricity
  10. object — a thing
  11. squash — to crush
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — the cause
  14. capital — money
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pitch — completely
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. charge — in control
  22. capital — a city
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. charge — a price

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