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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. chip — for betting
  3. drill — the tool
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wind — moving air
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. season — in sport
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pop — soda
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pop — music
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. pop — to visit
  18. drill — army training
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. wind — moving air
  21. drill — a practice
  22. chip — to eat
  23. squash — to crush
  24. rash — hasty

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