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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. squash — to crush
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. kick — in football
  24. hide — animal skin

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