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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. object — to protest
  3. pound — a weight
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. object — a thing
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. squash — the sport
  10. object — an aim
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. lie — to recline
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chest — a box
  18. pound — to hit hard

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