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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bass — the fish
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. object — an aim
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. season — in sport
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. court — for sport
  12. object — to protest
  13. rest — a break
  14. object — a thing
  15. court — of law
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. rest — what's left
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bass — low music
  21. season — of the year
  22. mark — a trace
  23. rest — what's left
  24. court — of a king

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