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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. suit — to fit
  3. bulb — for light
  4. court — of law
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. suit — in cards
  7. last — finally
  8. land — to come down
  9. track — to keep track
  10. squash — to crush
  11. ground — a position
  12. suit — clothes
  13. land — ground
  14. last — final
  15. ground — the earth
  16. land — a country
  17. track — a path
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. track — a song
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. last — to go on

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