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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. squash — to crush
  5. land — to come down
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bulb — for light
  8. squash — the sport
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. land — ground
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bulb — for light
  16. clip — a video
  17. wind — moving air
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. land — a country
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. pass — a permit
  23. net — after costs
  24. squash — the vegetable

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