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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bound — certain
  5. squash — the sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. last — to go on
  8. bound — obliged
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. court — for sport
  13. bound — tied together
  14. pit — in a race
  15. last — finally
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. court — of law
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. last — final
  23. rash — hasty
  24. pit — a hole

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