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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: capital · rash · cell · key · fall · stick · rock · squash

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. capital — money
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. cell — in biology
  11. key — for a lock
  12. fall — to drop
  13. squash — the sport
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. fall — to drop
  16. capital — a city
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rash — a series
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. key — in music
  21. fall — the season
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — music
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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