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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: mug · mate · hand · bark · squash · calf · game · ball

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mate — a partner
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. mug — a face
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mug — a cup
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mate — to breed
  13. squash — the sport
  14. hand — help
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. game — a match
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mug — to rob
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. ball — a great time
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bark — to shout

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