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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. squash — the sport
  6. tube — a container
  7. fall — the season
  8. pass — a permit
  9. scale — in music
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. court — for sport
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. scale — size or range
  14. court — of law
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. fall — to drop
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. chip — to eat
  20. tube — the underground
  21. court — of a king
  22. chip — for betting
  23. squash — to crush
  24. fall — to drop

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