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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. squash — the sport
  3. dip — to sink
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. file — a document
  7. game — wild animals
  8. ball — a dance
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. court — of a king
  13. squash — to crush
  14. file — a tool
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. game — a match
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. court — for sport
  24. game — a kind of play

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