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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. rule — a law
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. kid — child
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. spell — a short time
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. spell — magic
  12. rule — government
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — a division
  16. kid — to tease
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. court — of law
  19. court — of a king
  20. spell — letters
  21. court — for sport
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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