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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. band — a ring
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. fine — all right
  7. band — a music group
  8. fine — high quality
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fork — in a road
  13. squash — to crush
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. can — a tin
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. kick — in football
  24. fine — a penalty

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