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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 120 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: squash · lean · pit · stick · court · mouse · wax · chest

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pit — in a race
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. court — of a king
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pit — a hole
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wax — to grow
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. court — for sport
  20. squash — the sport
  21. lean — to bend
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. court — of law

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