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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. saw — the tool
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — completely
  13. kick — in football
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wake — a trail
  17. squash — the sport
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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