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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. object — to protest
  3. craft — boats
  4. court — for sport
  5. ground — crushed
  6. court — of a king
  7. object — a thing
  8. squash — to crush
  9. ball — a great time
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. lean — thin
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. court — of law
  18. ground — a position
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lean — to bend
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. craft — a skill
  24. object — an aim

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