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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. rush — hurry
  5. court — for sport
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chip — to eat
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. cap — a lid
  14. squash — to crush
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. cap — a hat
  18. chip — for betting
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cap — of ice
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. shower — rain
  23. perch — the fish
  24. chip — in a computer

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