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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 120 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. court — of a king
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. season — of the year
  7. court — for sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. squash — to crush
  20. net — in sport
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. season — in sport
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. court — of law

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