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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pop — soda
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. court — of law
  13. rash — hasty
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. mark — a trace
  18. court — for sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. shower — rain
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wake — a trail
  24. court — of a king

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