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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. court — for sport
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. mate — to breed
  9. current — happening now
  10. squash — to crush
  11. season — in sport
  12. squash — the sport
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. mate — a friend
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mate — a partner
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. snap — to click
  19. current — electric
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. cap — of ice
  23. current — of water
  24. cap — a lid

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