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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. clip — to cut
  3. wound — an injury
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. firm — a company
  6. clip — a video
  7. squash — to crush
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — newspapers
  10. pitch — completely
  11. firm — decided
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. press — to push
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wound — an injury
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. firm — steady
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. sharp — clever
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. clip — for paper

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