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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. chair — a leader
  3. mate — to breed
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. court — of law
  7. deal — to handle
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. face — to confront
  10. court — for sport
  11. scale — size or range
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. mate — a friend
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. court — of a king
  19. mate — a partner
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — in music
  24. racket — for tennis

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