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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. squash — to crush
  3. season — of the year
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. shower — to wash
  9. march — the month
  10. clip — for paper
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. clip — to cut
  14. march — the month
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. squash — the sport
  20. clip — a video
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. season — in sport
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. march — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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