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

Word bank: squash · rest · last · capital · snap · bulb · vault · rush

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. last — finally
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. last — final
  8. rest — what's left
  9. squash — the sport
  10. last — to go on
  11. snap — to click
  12. capital — a city
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rush — hurry
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. capital — money

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