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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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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. object — to protest
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. object — an aim
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. ground — a position
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. dip — to sink
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — the earth
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. staff — a stick
  13. pitch — completely
  14. drill — the tool
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. drill — army training
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. drill — a practice
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. squash — to crush
  23. object — a thing
  24. dip — to dunk

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