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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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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: drill · kid · bear · squash · court · net · rest · wake

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rest — what's left
  3. drill — army training
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bear — the animal
  7. net — after costs
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rest — a break
  11. squash — to crush
  12. court — for sport
  13. drill — the tool
  14. net — for catching
  15. court — of a king
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. drill — a practice
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — to tease
  24. court — of law

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