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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. court — of a king
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. court — for sport
  7. last — final
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bass — low music
  11. court — of law
  12. craft — boats
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. last — to go on
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. last — finally
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bass — the fish
  24. craft — a skill

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