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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bear — the animal
  5. squash — the sport
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. court — of a king
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bear — the animal
  10. court — of law
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. game — wild animals
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mine — for digging
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. court — for sport
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. squash — to crush

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