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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. suit — in cards
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. court — for sport
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. suit — clothes
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. squash — to crush
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. wake — a trail
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. suit — to fit
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. fan — a supporter

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