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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.

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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. squash — to crush
  5. swing — to play on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pop — to visit
  8. swing — in golf
  9. pop — soda
  10. mug — a face
  11. swing — music
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mug — to rob
  17. court — for sport
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. court — of law
  21. pop — music
  22. mug — a cup
  23. court — of a king
  24. bark — of a tree

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