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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pop — music
  3. can — a tin
  4. field — farmland
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. clip — a video
  7. season — in sport
  8. can — to be able to
  9. pop — soda
  10. field — for sport
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. can — a tin
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. deal — to handle
  16. clip — for paper
  17. season — of the year
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pop — to visit
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. field — a subject
  24. deal — an agreement

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