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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: cell · ball · mate · pit · squash · fan · kid · pop

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  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. ball — a great time
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. mate — to breed
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mate — a partner
  8. ball — a dance
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. pop — music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. squash — the sport
  13. cell — a phone
  14. kid — to tease
  15. cell — in biology
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pop — soda
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pop — to visit
  21. mate — a friend
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pit — in a race
  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