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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. clip — a video
  4. fine — all right
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. ball — a great time
  7. press — a publisher
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. ball — a dance
  10. last — finally
  11. squash — the sport
  12. clip — for paper
  13. press — newspapers
  14. fine — high quality
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. clip — to cut
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. press — to push
  22. squash — to crush
  23. last — to go on
  24. racket — for tennis

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