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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: dip · jam · capital · track · hand · bulb · squash · file

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. hand — in cards
  3. track — to keep track
  4. hand — help
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bulb — for light
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. dip — to sink
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. track — a song
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. squash — to crush
  14. file — a document
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bulb — for light
  17. file — a tool
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. track — a path
  22. capital — money
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. dip — a sauce

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