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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 116 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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bass — the fish
  3. kid — child
  4. court — of law
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. drill — army training
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. drill — the tool
  10. court — for sport
  11. bass — low music
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. drill — a practice
  15. rule — a law
  16. court — of a king
  17. rule — government
  18. object — an aim
  19. kid — to tease
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — to protest
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — to crush

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