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

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. ball — a dance
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pitch — completely
  6. squash — the sport
  7. swing — in golf
  8. net — in sport
  9. ball — a great time
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — to crush
  12. net — after costs
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. net — for catching
  16. swing — to play on
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. swing — music
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. mouse — the animal

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