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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: squash · last · clip · ground · bay · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. last — to go on
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. ground — the earth
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. last — final
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. ground — a position
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. last — finally
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. ground — crushed
  15. clip — for paper
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. squash — the sport

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