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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. chest — of your body
  5. shower — rain
  6. suit — in cards
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. spell — letters
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. suit — clothes
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pitch — completely
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. chest — of your body
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. shower — to wash
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. sharp — clever
  22. suit — to fit
  23. squash — to crush
  24. chest — a box

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