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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. charge — a price
  4. clip — for paper
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. squash — the sport
  8. rush — hurry
  9. present — there
  10. charge — electricity
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — a position
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. clip — to cut
  17. present — the time now
  18. charge — in control
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. clip — a video
  22. squash — to crush
  23. present — a gift
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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