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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. wind — moving air
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. staff — employees
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. staff — employees
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bark — to shout
  14. staff — a stick
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. season — in sport
  18. foot — a measure
  19. season — of the year
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. foot — the bottom

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