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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · cap · squash · cue · object · can · march · bound

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bound — tied together
  3. squash — to crush
  4. march — the month
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. cue — for pool
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. object — to protest
  10. bound — obliged
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bound — certain
  13. object — an aim
  14. cue — a hint
  15. can — a tin
  16. cue — a signal
  17. file — a document
  18. cap — of ice
  19. squash — the sport
  20. march — music
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cap — a lid
  23. file — a tool
  24. march — the month

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