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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. game — wild animals
  8. saw — the tool
  9. squash — to crush
  10. degree — from a university
  11. game — a match
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. degree — an amount
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. degree — temperature
  17. saw — the tool
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. clip — a video
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. leaves — to go away

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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