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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. clip — for paper
  3. firm — a company
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bass — low music
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. season — of the year
  9. file — a document
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bass — the fish
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — steady
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. clip — a video
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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