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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: cabinet · pound · swing · last · can · squash · degree · capital

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. degree — temperature
  4. swing — in golf
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. squash — to crush
  7. last — finally
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. squash — the sport
  12. degree — from a university
  13. last — final
  14. degree — an amount
  15. can — a tin
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. last — to go on
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — music

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