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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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 — the vegetable
  2. capital — money
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. ball — a dance
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. capital — a city
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wind — moving air
  9. spring — the season
  10. squash — to crush
  11. spring — of water
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. roll — a cake
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ball — a great time
  20. wind — moving air
  21. roll — a list
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. squash — the sport
  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