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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. last — final
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. bass — the fish
  6. last — to go on
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bass — low music
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. court — of law
  13. last — finally
  14. vault — a safe
  15. chip — to eat
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. chip — for betting
  21. court — for sport
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. ball — a dance
  24. court — of a king

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