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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. squash — the sport
  4. hand — in cards
  5. firm — decided
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. chip — to eat
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. cell — in biology
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. firm — a company
  16. bat — the animal
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. firm — steady
  21. hand — help
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. hand — part of the body

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