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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 ball is in your ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. court — for sport
  3. sharp — clever
  4. drill — a practice
  5. staff — employees
  6. lean — to bend
  7. drill — army training
  8. court — of a king
  9. spell — a short time
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. spell — letters
  13. drill — the tool
  14. court — of law
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — thin
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. squash — to crush
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. spell — magic

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