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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. clip — for paper
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cap — a lid
  7. squash — to crush
  8. ground — crushed
  9. clip — a video
  10. squash — the sport
  11. track — a path
  12. cap — of ice
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. chair — a leader
  17. clip — to cut
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. track — a song
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. cap — a hat
  23. march — the month
  24. hide — to keep secret

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