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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · toast · game · racket · march · squash · cell · wind

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. march — the month
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. squash — to crush
  7. cell — in biology
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wind — moving air
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. ground — a position
  12. march — the month
  13. game — wild animals
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. game — a match
  16. wind — moving air
  17. march — music
  18. toast — bread
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. ground — crushed
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. squash — the sport

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