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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. court — for sport
  3. cap — of ice
  4. court — of law
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. squash — to crush
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. court — of a king
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. row — a line
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. cap — a lid
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. pit — a hole
  20. fork — in a road
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pit — in a race
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. fork — to eat with

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