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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. wind — moving air
  4. squash — to crush
  5. mate — a partner
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stand — to bear
  8. perch — the fish
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. hand — in cards
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. saw — the tool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. hand — help
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. mate — a friend
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. mate — to breed
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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