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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.

Words on the sheet
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: dip · squash · roll · bay · cabinet · capital · band · file

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. band — a music group
  7. squash — the sport
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. file — a tool
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a city
  14. roll — a cake
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a ring
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. file — a document
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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