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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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. squash — the vegetable
  4. game — a match
  5. net — after costs
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. net — in sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. net — for catching
  13. pass — a permit
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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