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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: squash · last · mouse · march · snap · stick · hand · court

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. march — music
  5. squash — the sport
  6. march — the month
  7. last — final
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. squash — to crush
  12. last — to go on
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. court — for sport
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. last — finally
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. march — the month
  21. court — of a king
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. court — of law
  24. hand — help

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