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

Word bank: squash · wound · temple · fall · kick · cue · cap · capital

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. cap — a lid
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. squash — the sport
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cap — a hat
  9. capital — money
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. wound — an injury
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cue — a signal
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. kick — in football
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cap — of ice
  21. fall — the season
  22. capital — a city
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. kick — with a leg

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