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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 120 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. rush — hurry
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — for digging
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rash — a series
  16. pound — a weight
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. clip — to cut
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — a permit
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pound — to hit hard

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