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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. hand — in cards
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. cue — for pool
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. spring — a coil
  11. lean — thin
  12. squash — the sport
  13. band — a ring
  14. ball — a dance
  15. lean — to bend
  16. cue — a signal
  17. scale — size or range
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. ball — a great time
  21. hand — help
  22. scale — in music
  23. cue — a hint
  24. band — a music group

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