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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. hand — in cards
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a dance
  7. tube — a container
  8. rule — government
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. field — a subject
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. squash — the sport
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — a grade
  18. rule — a law
  19. tube — the underground
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. hand — help
  23. perch — the fish
  24. ball — a round shape

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