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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — a weight
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. suit — in cards
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mate — to breed
  16. suit — clothes
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. pitch — completely
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mate — a partner
  23. suit — to fit
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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