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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bore — to tire
  4. fall — the season
  5. pitch — completely
  6. band — a ring
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rash — a series
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. band — a music group
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. foot — a measure
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fall — to drop
  21. squash — to crush
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bore — gave birth

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