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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. current — electric
  6. current — happening now
  7. season — in sport
  8. mark — a grade
  9. race — the arms race
  10. tube — a container
  11. race — a contest
  12. tube — the underground
  13. mark — a trace
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. current — of water
  18. court — for sport
  19. race — humankind
  20. court — of law
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. squash — to crush
  24. mark — to pay attention

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