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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: fork · pop · court · calf · swing · snap · ground · squash

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. ground — the earth
  5. fork — in a road
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. ground — crushed
  8. swing — in golf
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. pop — to visit
  11. ground — a position
  12. swing — music
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. snap — to click
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. squash — the sport
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. pop — soda
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. court — for sport
  22. swing — to play on
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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