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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stick · bat · lie · club · clip · season · squash · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. clip — to cut
  3. club — for dancing
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. season — in sport
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. club — a group
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. squash — to crush
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. club — for golf
  18. clip — for paper
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. squash — the sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. lie — an untruth
  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