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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. rock — a stone
  3. court — for sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. field — farmland
  6. snap — to click
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bulb — for light
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. court — of law
  14. squash — the sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. field — for sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. rock — music
  24. field — a subject

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