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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. roll — a list
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bank — for money
  5. roll — a cake
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. mug — a cup
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. pitch — completely
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. mug — to rob
  21. rock — music
  22. game — a match
  23. squash — the sport
  24. game — wild animals

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