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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 120 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: bay · squash · can · temple · game · capital · pitcher · field

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — a city
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. can — to be able to
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. game — a match
  11. squash — the sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. field — for sport
  18. game — wild animals
  19. capital — money
  20. field — farmland
  21. can — a tin
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. can — a tin
  24. squash — to crush

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