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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mug — a face
  3. row — a line
  4. bass — low music
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. mug — a cup
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bass — the fish
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. row — to paddle
  12. snap — to click
  13. kick — in football
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. mug — to rob
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. squash — to crush

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