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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: game · jam · court · row · mug · spell · squash · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. squash — to crush
  3. can — a tin
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. court — of a king
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. can — a tin
  8. mug — a cup
  9. squash — the sport
  10. spell — a short time
  11. court — for sport
  12. row — a line
  13. game — a match
  14. spell — letters
  15. court — of law
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. spell — magic
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mug — to rob
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mug — a face
  24. jam — in traffic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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