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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a tool
  3. squash — the sport
  4. cap — of ice
  5. capital — a city
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. last — to go on
  8. cap — a lid
  9. last — finally
  10. file — a line of people
  11. root — the cause
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. capital — money
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — clever
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — of a word
  18. squash — to crush
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cap — a hat
  21. last — final
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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