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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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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: rest · jam · wind · game · court · lean · squash · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. game — wild animals
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. court — of law
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. squash — to crush
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. rest — what's left
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. court — for sport
  13. rest — a break
  14. court — of a king
  15. game — a match
  16. lean — to bend
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. lean — thin
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. jam — a tight spot

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