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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 116 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. craft — a skill
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. squash — the sport
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bulb — for light
  10. object — an aim
  11. bulb — for light
  12. object — to protest
  13. hand — in cards
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. object — a thing
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. ball — a dance
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. craft — boats

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