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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a dance
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mark — a grade
  6. squash — the sport
  7. hand — help
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. shower — to wash
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. ball — a great time
  14. hand — in cards
  15. squash — to crush
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pit — in a race
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pit — a hole
  22. shower — rain
  23. mark — a trace
  24. saw — the tool

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