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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. roll — a list
  3. toast — bread
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. can — to be able to
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. can — a tin
  10. clip — to cut
  11. squash — the sport
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. clip — a video
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. can — a tin
  21. roll — a cake
  22. scale — size or range
  23. squash — to crush
  24. clip — for paper

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