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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cue — for pool
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. squash — to crush
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. cue — a signal
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cue — a hint
  15. rock — music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rash — a series
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. rash — hasty
  21. court — for sport
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. rock — a stone
  24. squash — the vegetable

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