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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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468
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: bear · prune · pitcher · pass · kick · fine · capital · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bear — the animal
  3. kick — in football
  4. capital — money
  5. pass — a permit
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bear — the animal
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. fine — high quality
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. squash — to crush
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fine — all right
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. capital — a city

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