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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. rock — a stone
  3. squash — to crush
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. deal — to handle
  7. can — a tin
  8. rock — music
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. court — for sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. pit — a hole
  15. court — of a king
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. pit — in a race
  19. can — a tin
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. court — of law
  23. can — to be able to
  24. leaves — of a tree

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