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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. ground — the earth
  3. fine — high quality
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. clip — for paper
  9. squash — the sport
  10. clip — a video
  11. squash — to crush
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. object — an aim
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. object — to protest
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. season — in sport
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. clip — to cut
  23. kick — in football
  24. fine — all right

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