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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. object — a thing
  3. cell — in biology
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. object — an aim
  9. foot — a measure
  10. squash — the sport
  11. can — a tin
  12. capital — money
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. object — to protest
  15. capital — a city
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. jam — in traffic

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