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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. pitch — completely
  3. clip — to cut
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mine — for digging
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. board — a committee
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. squash — the sport
  23. board — to get on
  24. pound — a weight

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