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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. ball — a dance
  5. squash — the sport
  6. shower — to wash
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. lie — to recline
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. kick — in football
  13. clip — a video
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. shower — rain
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wake — a trail
  18. squash — to crush
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. clip — for paper
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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