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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. spell — a short time
  3. file — a tool
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — the sport
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. content — the amount
  11. spell — magic
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. pitch — completely
  14. rest — what's left
  15. spell — letters
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. march — music
  18. content — happy
  19. file — a document
  20. file — a line of people
  21. rest — what's left
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. squash — to crush
  24. stand — to bear

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