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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. pop — soda
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pop — music
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pop — to visit
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. rash — a series
  12. season — of the year
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. season — in sport
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. clip — for paper
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pound — a weight
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wind — moving air
  23. clip — a video
  24. rash — hasty

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