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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: bound · bay · chest · mate · squash · root · capital · pass

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bound — tied together
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mate — to breed
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. root — of a word
  8. mate — a partner
  9. root — of a plant
  10. capital — a city
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. root — the cause
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. mate — a friend
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bound — certain
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. capital — money
  24. chest — of your body

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