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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. game — a match
  3. firm — a company
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. content — the amount
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pit — in a race
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. game — wild animals
  10. row — to paddle
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. content — happy
  14. firm — decided
  15. row — a line
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. firm — steady
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. foot — a measure
  22. pit — a hole
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. foot — part of the body

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