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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. scale — in music
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wind — moving air
  9. perch — the fish
  10. kick — in football
  11. wind — moving air
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. key — the most important part
  15. sharp — clever
  16. key — for a lock
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. key — in music
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. squash — the sport
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. scale — size or range

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