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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pop — to visit
  4. season — in sport
  5. game — a match
  6. mate — a partner
  7. squash — to crush
  8. firm — steady
  9. game — wild animals
  10. lean — thin
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lean — to bend
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. mate — to breed
  16. pop — music
  17. season — of the year
  18. mate — a friend
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — decided
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pop — soda

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