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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. firm — decided
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. field — a subject
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. court — of law
  14. object — to protest
  15. field — for sport
  16. firm — steady
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — for sport
  19. firm — a company
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pitch — completely
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. object — a thing

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