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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. ball — a dance
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. spell — a short time
  14. rash — a series
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. season — in sport
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. squash — the sport
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bark — to shout
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rash — hasty
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — letters

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