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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 · bowl · prune · toast · court · cue · lash · squash

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. prune — to trim
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. cue — a signal
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. cue — for pool
  13. prune — to trim
  14. court — of a king
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. squash — to crush
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. court — for sport
  20. toast — bread
  21. court — of law
  22. cue — a hint
  23. game — a match
  24. squash — the vegetable

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