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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. roll — a cake
  5. chip — for betting
  6. stand — to bear
  7. squash — to crush
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chip — to eat
  15. rock — music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. season — of the year
  19. roll — a list
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. squash — the sport
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. season — in sport
  24. wind — moving air

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