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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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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: wound · squash · dip · stock · kick · rule · season · ball

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. ball — a great time
  3. season — in sport
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. squash — the sport
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rule — government
  14. season — of the year
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — shares
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. dip — to sink
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. ball — a dance
  24. kick — in football

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