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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bore — to tire
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. saw — the tool
  7. squash — to crush
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. court — of a king
  11. object — an aim
  12. mine — for digging
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. bore — to drill
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. saw — the tool
  19. court — of law
  20. object — a thing
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. object — to protest

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