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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: file · capital · squash · last · straw · craft · fine · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. capital — a city
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the sport
  5. craft — boats
  6. roll — a list
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. capital — money
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. file — a line of people
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — high quality
  19. last — finally
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. craft — a skill
  24. fine — all right

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