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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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. court — for sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. root — of a word
  7. stock — shares
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. stock — goods
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. season — of the year
  13. court — of a king
  14. season — in sport
  15. mug — a cup
  16. snap — to click
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. root — of a plant
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. mug — a face
  21. ground — the earth
  22. mug — to rob
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. root — the cause

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