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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pop — music
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — to visit
  9. court — of a king
  10. squash — the sport
  11. perch — the fish
  12. race — humankind
  13. squash — to crush
  14. race — the arms race
  15. rock — music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. court — of law
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rock — a stone
  20. court — for sport
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. race — a contest
  24. pit — in a race

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