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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. season — of the year
  3. ground — the earth
  4. suit — clothes
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. ground — a position
  7. race — humankind
  8. current — of water
  9. pitch — completely
  10. race — the arms race
  11. ground — crushed
  12. current — happening now
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. squash — to crush
  15. clip — a video
  16. current — electric
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. suit — to fit
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. race — a contest
  21. season — in sport
  22. clip — to cut
  23. suit — in cards
  24. squash — the sport

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