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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 116 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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. charge — electricity
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. saw — the tool
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. squash — the sport
  8. charge — a price
  9. saw — the tool
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — for paper
  16. charge — in control
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. face — to confront
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. face — part of the head
  22. clip — a video
  23. wax — to grow
  24. face — to point toward

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