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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. squash — the sport
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. mug — a face
  8. land — to come down
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wound — an injury
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. cap — of ice
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bass — low music
  17. land — a country
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a cup
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. land — ground
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bowl — a football final

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