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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to click
  4. land — a country
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. land — ground
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pop — to visit
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. key — for a lock
  14. court — of a king
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. key — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. court — for sport
  19. pop — soda
  20. court — of law
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pop — music
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. safe — out of danger

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