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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. squash — the sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. rule — government
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. squash — to crush
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. court — of law
  10. pass — a permit
  11. hand — in cards
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rule — a law
  15. roll — a list
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rock — music
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. court — for sport
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. roll — on a roll

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