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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 120 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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. current — of water
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bound — certain
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. current — electric
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. season — in sport
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to click
  18. season — of the year
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. current — happening now
  24. pass — a permit

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