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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. squash — to crush
  5. suit — in cards
  6. ball — a dance
  7. suit — to fit
  8. snap — to click
  9. bass — the fish
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. suit — clothes
  12. race — humankind
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — the arms race
  16. row — a line
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. row — to paddle
  22. squash — the sport
  23. ball — a great time
  24. squash — the vegetable

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