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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. rush — hurry
  3. court — for sport
  4. squash — the sport
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. row — to paddle
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. chair — a leader
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. court — of a king
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. row — a line
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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