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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. season — in sport
  4. clip — to cut
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bass — low music
  8. clip — a video
  9. track — a song
  10. ball — a great time
  11. squash — the sport
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bass — the fish
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. season — of the year
  18. track — a path
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. ball — a dance
  21. track — to keep track
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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