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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. court — of law
  3. date — the fruit
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. court — for sport
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. land — a country
  9. current — electric
  10. roll — a list
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. roll — a cake
  14. land — ground
  15. rock — a stone
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. rock — music
  18. land — to come down
  19. court — of a king
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — of water
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. squash — to crush
  24. date — on the calendar

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