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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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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: race · wave · season · stand · squash · clip · suit · wind

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. wind — moving air
  3. season — in sport
  4. race — a contest
  5. stand — to bear
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. season — of the year
  9. wind — moving air
  10. clip — a video
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. race — humankind
  14. clip — for paper
  15. squash — the sport
  16. suit — to fit
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. clip — to cut
  19. squash — to crush
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. race — the arms race
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. suit — in cards

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