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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: squash · bass · ground · game · racket · can · land · fork

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. squash — to crush
  4. land — to come down
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. land — a country
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. can — a tin
  10. ground — crushed
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. ground — a position
  13. fork — in a road
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. ground — the earth
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bass — the fish
  20. land — ground
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bass — low music
  24. squash — the sport

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