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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: pound · clip · track · calf · ball · stock · squash · hide

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. pound — a weight
  5. clip — for paper
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. stock — shares
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. squash — the sport
  16. track — a song
  17. clip — to cut
  18. ball — a great time
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. track — a path
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. track — to keep track
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. clip — a video

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