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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. band — a music group
  3. court — of a king
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. court — for sport
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. band — a ring
  12. charge — electricity
  13. row — to paddle
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. charge — a price
  17. court — of law
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. row — a line
  20. ball — a dance
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. charge — in control
  23. ball — a great time
  24. lie — to recline

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