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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. kick — in football
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pop — soda
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. pop — to visit
  8. ground — a position
  9. can — a tin
  10. game — a match
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pop — music
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — the earth
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. squash — the sport
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. can — a tin
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. can — to be able to

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