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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: cabinet · court · racket · pound · bay · last · leaves · squash

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. last — to go on
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. last — final
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. last — finally
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. squash — the sport
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. racket — for tennis

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