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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wind — moving air
  3. object — an aim
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mine — for digging
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. cell — in biology
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. court — for sport
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. squash — to crush
  14. wind — moving air
  15. court — of a king
  16. tube — the underground
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. court — of law
  19. tube — a container
  20. object — to protest
  21. cell — a phone
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. object — a thing

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