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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. court — of law
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. ball — a dance
  6. chip — to eat
  7. lean — to bend
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stock — goods
  10. squash — the sport
  11. stock — shares
  12. fork — in a road
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. court — for sport
  16. stem — to come from
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. chip — for betting
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. squash — to crush
  21. lean — thin
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a great time
  24. court — of a king

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