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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. spring — the season
  6. lean — thin
  7. spring — a coil
  8. game — a match
  9. last — to go on
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. squash — to crush
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. wake — a trail
  18. spring — of water
  19. pitch — completely
  20. last — final
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. game — wild animals
  24. lean — to bend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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