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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. pop — soda
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pop — to visit
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wind — moving air
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pop — music
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. saw — the tool
  20. scale — size or range
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. scale — in music
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bowl — a dish

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