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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. capital — a city
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. mine — for digging
  8. shower — to wash
  9. squash — to crush
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. shower — rain
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. cue — a signal
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. cue — for pool
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. stem — to come from
  23. deal — to handle
  24. cue — a hint

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