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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. ball — a dance
  7. season — in sport
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. squash — the sport
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. season — of the year
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. net — for catching
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. net — in sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. net — after costs
  24. squash — to crush

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