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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — to crush
  3. net — after costs
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. march — the month
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. clip — a video
  9. march — the month
  10. deal — to handle
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mug — a face
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. net — for catching
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bank — for money
  18. clip — to cut
  19. mug — a cup
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. net — in sport
  22. march — music
  23. clip — for paper
  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