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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — to crush
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bank — for money
  5. net — in sport
  6. clip — a video
  7. squash — the sport
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. clip — to cut
  10. present — a gift
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bank — for money
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. present — the time now
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. clip — for paper
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. present — there
  22. bank — of a river
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. calf — a young animal

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