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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wind — moving air
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. present — there
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. present — a gift
  9. fork — in a road
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. wind — moving air
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. squash — the sport
  17. present — the time now
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. deal — to handle
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. squash — the vegetable

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