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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. court — of a king
  3. charge — a price
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. snap — to click
  7. charge — electricity
  8. scale — size or range
  9. court — of law
  10. key — in music
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. court — for sport
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. charge — in control
  16. scale — in music
  17. foot — a measure
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — for a lock
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. straw — dry grass

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