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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. roll — a list
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. fork — in a road
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. roll — a cake
  11. squash — to crush
  12. mate — a partner
  13. court — of law
  14. snap — to click
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. chip — to eat
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bat — the animal
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a friend
  24. fork — a garden tool

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