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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fall — to drop
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. present — the time now
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bear — the animal
  8. season — of the year
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. land — a country
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. land — to come down
  17. fall — the season
  18. season — in sport
  19. fall — to drop
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — there
  22. bear — the animal
  23. land — ground
  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