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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 120 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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468
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: court · present · game · leaves · squash · bowl · racket · safe

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. squash — to crush
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. game — wild animals
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. court — of law
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. present — the time now
  8. present — a gift
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. court — for sport
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. present — there
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. court — of a king
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. game — a match
  23. racket — for tennis
  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