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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: can · mouse · squash · court · jam · wind · clip · toast

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. court — of a king
  3. can — to be able to
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. toast — bread
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. court — of law
  8. can — a tin
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. wind — moving air
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. wind — moving air
  13. can — a tin
  14. clip — for paper
  15. court — for sport
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. squash — the sport
  21. clip — a video
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. squash — to crush
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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