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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pop — music
  3. squash — the sport
  4. court — of law
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. can — to be able to
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — a grade
  10. can — a tin
  11. squash — to crush
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. court — of a king
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pop — soda
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — thin
  21. can — a tin
  22. pop — to visit
  23. court — for sport
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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