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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: roll · mouse · rash · ground · squash · key · court · land

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. court — of a king
  3. ground — crushed
  4. roll — a list
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. squash — the sport
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. court — of law
  14. ground — the earth
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. land — ground
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. ground — a position
  20. key — the most important part
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. squash — to crush
  23. court — for sport
  24. rash — on the skin

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