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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 120 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 took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. wind — moving air
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. net — for catching
  7. squash — the sport
  8. tear — from crying
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. tear — from crying
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. net — in sport
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. wind — moving air
  17. perch — the fish
  18. net — after costs
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. calf — a young animal

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