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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. court — of law
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. staff — a stick
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. court — of a king
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wound — an injury
  19. clip — for paper
  20. court — for sport
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rock — a stone
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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