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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.

Make a worksheet

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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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. wind — moving air
  4. spring — of water
  5. key — in music
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. season — in sport
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. ball — a great time
  14. net — after costs
  15. spring — the season
  16. net — for catching
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. net — in sport
  19. squash — the sport
  20. ball — a dance
  21. season — of the year
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. spring — a coil
  24. key — for a lock

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