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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. squash — the sport
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. pitch — completely
  7. cell — in biology
  8. rash — hasty
  9. lie — to recline
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rock — a stone
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cell — a phone
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. rock — music
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. rash — a series
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — to crush
  24. lie — an untruth

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