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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — a thing
  4. clip — to cut
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. club — a group
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. wound — an injury
  12. club — for golf
  13. clip — a video
  14. squash — to crush
  15. club — for dancing
  16. object — to protest
  17. clip — for paper
  18. ball — a dance
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bank — for money
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bank — for money

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