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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. scale — in music
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. hand — help
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. squash — to crush
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — the animal
  16. ball — a dance
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. scale — size or range
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. toast — bread
  24. scale — for weighing

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