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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. clip — for paper
  3. rash — hasty
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. clip — a video
  8. craft — a skill
  9. deal — to handle
  10. stock — shares
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stock — goods
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. squash — to crush
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. clip — to cut
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. rash — a series
  19. craft — boats
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. rash — on the skin

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