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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — steady
  5. firm — a company
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. squash — the sport
  9. rock — a stone
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. kid — child
  12. bulb — for light
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. rock — music
  15. kid — to tease
  16. content — the amount
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. squash — to crush
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bulb — for light
  23. content — happy
  24. leaves — of a tree

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