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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: squash · foot · game · pitcher · pound · court · bulb · cell

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bulb — for light
  4. foot — a measure
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. cell — in biology
  8. squash — the sport
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cell — a phone
  15. court — of a king
  16. game — a match
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pound — a weight
  21. squash — to crush
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pound — for dogs

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