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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: leaves · racket · squash · deal · court · rest · spell · chest

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. court — of law
  3. spell — magic
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. squash — the sport
  6. rest — what's left
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. court — of a king
  9. squash — to crush
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rest — what's left
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. chest — of your body
  16. court — for sport
  17. spell — a short time
  18. deal — to handle
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rest — a break
  21. spell — letters
  22. chest — a box
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. leaves — lets stay

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