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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 116 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. spell — letters
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. clip — a video
  17. squash — the sport
  18. clip — for paper
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. spell — a short time
  22. pit — a hole
  23. spell — magic
  24. squash — the vegetable

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