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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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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: suit · drill · bass · prune · court · squash · saw · content

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  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. drill — a practice
  2. suit — to fit
  3. drill — the tool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. content — the amount
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. court — for sport
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. squash — to crush
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. squash — the sport
  19. content — happy
  20. court — of a king
  21. saw — the tool
  22. suit — in cards
  23. suit — clothes
  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