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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mate — a friend
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mate — to breed
  9. wind — moving air
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fine — all right
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. fine — high quality
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. mate — a partner
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. squash — the sport
  24. leaves — of a tree

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