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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: capital · ruler · squash · date · patient · swing · jam · content

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. squash — to crush
  3. swing — music
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. swing — in golf
  10. content — happy
  11. capital — a city
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. swing — to play on
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. squash — the sport
  18. content — the amount
  19. date — the fruit
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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