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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 116 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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. capital — money
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. last — final
  8. suit — to fit
  9. capital — a city
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. game — a match
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bulb — for light
  14. suit — in cards
  15. last — to go on
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — to shout
  20. last — finally
  21. suit — clothes
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. capital — a big letter

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