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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cap — of ice
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. rash — a series
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cap — a hat
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. wind — moving air
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. rash — hasty
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. squash — to crush
  21. kick — in football
  22. squash — the sport
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wound — an injury

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