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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. march — music
  3. game — a match
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. court — of law
  7. degree — an amount
  8. court — for sport
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wind — moving air
  12. court — of a king
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. march — the month
  16. wind — moving air
  17. squash — to crush
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. degree — from a university
  20. march — the month
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. game — wild animals
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. kick — in football

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