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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. squash — the sport
  4. cap — a lid
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. object — an aim
  7. land — to come down
  8. perch — the fish
  9. wake — a trail
  10. land — ground
  11. kid — child
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. land — a country
  14. object — a thing
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. season — in sport
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. season — of the year
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a hat
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. squash — to crush

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