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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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. squash — the sport
  3. wind — moving air
  4. squash — to crush
  5. face — to confront
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. ball — a great time
  8. present — a gift
  9. season — in sport
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — a weight
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wind — moving air
  17. face — to point toward
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — there
  20. ball — a dance
  21. craft — a skill
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a handicraft

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