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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wind — moving air
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. race — a contest
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. race — the arms race
  8. mate — a partner
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. net — in sport
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. band — a music group
  14. net — after costs
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. mate — to breed
  17. band — a ring
  18. race — humankind
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. squash — to crush
  21. net — for catching
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wind — moving air

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