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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. season — of the year
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. squash — the sport
  7. pop — to visit
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. mug — a cup
  11. wound — an injury
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mug — a face
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pop — soda
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. season — in sport
  22. pop — music
  23. wound — an injury
  24. season — to add flavour

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