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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 124 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wound — an injury
  3. saw — the tool
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. squash — the sport
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a path
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. present — there
  16. present — a gift
  17. saw — the tool
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. track — a song
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. present — the time now
  24. squash — to crush

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