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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: arm · ruler · swing · squash · cold · bowl · capital · leaves

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. capital — money
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. squash — to crush
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — in golf
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. cold — not warm
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. squash — the sport
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. capital — a city
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. swing — music
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bowl — a dish

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