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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. rock — a stone
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — music
  7. club — a group
  8. squash — to crush
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. squash — the sport
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. club — for dancing
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — money
  18. club — for golf
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. degree — temperature

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