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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pitch — completely
  3. court — for sport
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. band — a music group
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the sport
  11. band — a ring
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. court — of a king
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — to handle
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. drill — a practice
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. drill — the tool
  20. court — of law
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. saw — the tool

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