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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.

Words on the sheet
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: pop · ball · court · object · mug · rule · squash · spring

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mug — a face
  3. rule — a law
  4. court — for sport
  5. spring — the season
  6. object — to protest
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. spring — a coil
  13. court — of law
  14. squash — the sport
  15. pop — soda
  16. object — a thing
  17. court — of a king
  18. spring — of water
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — to visit
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. object — an aim
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — to rob

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