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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. squash — to crush
  3. fall — to drop
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. wind — moving air
  6. season — of the year
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wound — an injury
  13. season — in sport
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. fall — the season
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fall — to drop
  24. season — to add flavour

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