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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pop — to visit
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bear — the animal
  7. scale — in music
  8. pop — music
  9. bear — the animal
  10. court — for sport
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. scale — size or range
  14. court — of law
  15. rest — what's left
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pit — in a race
  18. spell — a short time
  19. pop — soda
  20. court — of a king
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. pit — a hole
  24. rest — a break

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