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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 116 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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Word bank
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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: squash · clip · court · suit · rock · race · mug · mate

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. clip — for paper
  3. suit — clothes
  4. court — for sport
  5. rock — a stone
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. suit — to fit
  8. mug — a face
  9. suit — in cards
  10. race — the arms race
  11. mate — a friend
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. court — of law
  16. race — a contest
  17. court — of a king
  18. race — humankind
  19. mug — a cup
  20. squash — the sport
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mate — a partner
  23. squash — to crush
  24. mate — to breed

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