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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. court — of a king
  3. tube — a container
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rash — hasty
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. court — of law
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. squash — the sport
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. court — for sport
  17. rash — a series
  18. squash — to crush
  19. season — in sport
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. date — the fruit
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. tube — the underground
  24. season — of the year

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