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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. season — of the year
  3. court — of law
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. squash — the sport
  6. cue — a signal
  7. mine — for digging
  8. cue — for pool
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — a practice
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. drill — the tool
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rest — what's left
  18. court — of a king
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. cue — a hint
  22. court — for sport
  23. rest — a break
  24. squash — to crush

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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