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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 116 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. squash — to crush
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. rash — a series
  12. cell — a phone
  13. mark — a trace
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bear — the animal
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bear — the animal
  18. clip — to cut
  19. squash — the sport
  20. clip — for paper
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. mark — a grade
  24. clip — a video

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