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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. game — wild animals
  3. court — for sport
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. squash — to crush
  9. game — a match
  10. shower — rain
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. march — the month
  13. court — of law
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. march — the month
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. court — of a king
  18. march — music
  19. shower — to wash
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wake — a trail
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. wake — before a funeral

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