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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. roll — a cake
  9. squash — to crush
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. mug — a face
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. sharp — clever
  16. court — for sport
  17. squash — the sport
  18. mug — to rob
  19. roll — a list
  20. court — of a king
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. court — of law
  23. mug — a cup
  24. temple — a place of worship

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