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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 120 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. court — of law
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rush — hurry
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. object — to protest
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. court — of a king
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. court — for sport
  13. rash — hasty
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. object — an aim
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. fall — to drop
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. squash — the sport
  20. content — the amount
  21. fall — to drop
  22. content — happy
  23. fall — the season
  24. nail — for a hammer

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