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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. wound — an injury
  4. season — in sport
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ball — a great time
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. fine — all right
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. snap — to click
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. squash — to crush
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wound — an injury
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. season — of the year
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. pitcher — a jug

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