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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. shower — rain
  5. swing — music
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — to rob
  8. clip — a video
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. cue — for pool
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cue — a hint
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. swing — in golf
  19. clip — for paper
  20. cue — a signal
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. clip — to cut
  24. mug — a cup

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