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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rash — hasty
  4. pop — soda
  5. squash — to crush
  6. fork — in a road
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. race — the arms race
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. court — of a king
  15. race — a contest
  16. pop — music
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. race — humankind
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. rash — a series
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. pop — to visit
  24. rash — on the skin

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