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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. hand — help
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — a company
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — child
  7. firm — steady
  8. hand — in cards
  9. kid — to tease
  10. can — a tin
  11. board — a committee
  12. can — a tin
  13. land — a country
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. land — ground
  17. court — of law
  18. land — to come down
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — to get on
  21. squash — the sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. can — to be able to

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