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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: squash · fork · capital · deal · tube · board · rash · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. squash — the sport
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. board — to get on
  7. fork — in a road
  8. rash — a series
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. deal — to handle
  14. capital — a city
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. tube — the underground
  19. board — a committee
  20. tube — a container
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. fork — a garden tool

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