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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. capital — a city
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. fall — the season
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fall — to drop
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bear — the animal
  13. squash — to crush
  14. deal — to handle
  15. capital — money
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bat — the animal
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. can — a tin
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. can — a tin
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. fall — to drop
  24. trunk — of a car

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